Makinde Calls for Transparency on Coastal Highway Cost
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has joined the growing conversation around the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, questioning the transparency of its cost and defending a journalist who pressed for accountability.
Makinde, speaking at an event in a viral video on Friday, criticised the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for what he described as evasive answers regarding the project’s pricing.
“There’s no need for the Minister to be dancing around the cost,” Makinde said, in reference to Umahi’s exchange with Arise TV’s Rufai Oseni earlier in the week.
Umahi and Oseni’s Heated Exchange
During a live interview on Arise TV, Oseni asked Umahi to break down the cost of the Lagos-Calabar project per kilometre.
The question appeared to irritate the minister, who insisted that such an analysis was “elementary” and irrelevant.
“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything,” Umahi said, asserting that the cost per kilometre varied along the route due to differing terrains and engineering demands.
Oseni, however, stood his ground, responding:
“Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”
Makinde Breaks Down Costs of Oyo Roads for Comparison
Defending Oseni’s question, Makinde cited examples from Oyo State’s road projects to show that providing an average cost per kilometre was both possible and reasonable.
“They asked a minister how much the coastal road is, and then you’re dancing around, saying one kilometre is different from the next. Then what is the average cost?” he asked.
Makinde explained:
“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road, it was about ₦9.99 billion roughly 34 or 35 kilometres so the average cost was ₦238 million per kilometre.
For the Iseyin to Ogbomoso road, which is 76 kilometres, it cost ₦43 billion an average of ₦500 million per kilometre and that included two bridges.”
About the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
The 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, spanning nine states with spurs to the northern region, is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The Federal Government officially flagged off the first phase 47.47 kilometres of dual carriageway in 2024, awarding it to Hitech Construction Company Limited.
Minister Umahi, at the project’s handover, stated that contractors must meet deadlines without delays, warning that the government would not approve cost variations due to slow progress.
