Umahi Defends Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Says Even Critics Will Admit Its Impact
Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has once again defended the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing it as one of the most significant achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and insisting that even the harshest critics of the government would acknowledge its impact.
Umahi made the remarks on Monday during the flag-off of the dualisation of the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode road in Ogun State. Addressing lingering criticism that the coastal highway serves no real purpose, the minister pointed to the dramatic improvement in travel time between Lagos and Epe as evidence of the project’s practical benefits, noting that a journey which previously took several hours could now be completed in a matter of minutes along the improved corridor. He urged doubters to visit Lagos residents directly, insisting that even those opposed to the administration would admit the project represents one of the government’s best gifts to Nigerians.
The minister also used the occasion to defend the procurement process used in awarding the contract for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, an issue that has drawn sustained criticism from opposition figures who argue the project bypassed competitive bidding. Umahi explained that Nigerian procurement law permits multiple methods for awarding contracts, including special procurement, restrictive procurement, and open advertisement, and said the government opted for special procurement because of the contractor’s prior experience handling major coastal engineering projects. He argued that the firm’s track record in controlling erosion along the Atlantic coastline made it well suited to execute the highway, dismissing suggestions that the process fell short of due diligence.
The coastal highway, a roughly 700-kilometre project stretching from Lagos to Calabar, has remained one of the most scrutinized infrastructure undertakings of the Tinubu administration since construction began. Umahi has previously disclosed that the initial 7.47-kilometre stretch from Victoria Island to Elepe village has been completed, while a further 50-kilometre section between Lagos and the Ogun State border was around 70 percent complete as of last month, with additional sections progressing at a slower pace.
The project has repeatedly attracted criticism from opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has questioned the cost transparency of the highway and the process used to award its contract to Hitech Construction Company. Umahi has consistently dismissed such criticism, accusing opponents of misrepresenting the project’s figures and economic significance, and maintaining that the government has remained cost-effective and prudent despite rising construction costs driven by inflation and global supply chain disruptions.
Beyond the coastal highway, Umahi has continued to promote what the administration describes as four flagship road projects, also including the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, the Trans-Saharan Trade Route, and a soon-to-be-procured Ogun-Ondo-Niger corridor, which he says are designed to interconnect Nigeria’s regions and unlock broader economic growth through improved commercial activity.
As construction continues across various sections of the coastal highway, the government maintains that the project remains on track for completion, even as it continues to navigate persistent political and public scrutiny over its cost, procurement process, and long-term value to the country.
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