Minister of Works David Umahi has rejected claims that the 750-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will cost N15 trillion, insisting that the federal government has yet to determine an overall price because engineering designs and procurement are being undertaken in sections.
Speaking during a television interview, Umahi said construction costs would vary according to soil conditions, bridges, environmental considerations and the design requirements of each stretch. He argued that applying the cost of one section to the entire highway would produce an unreliable estimate.
The minister said the concept of a coastal road dated back decades but that the Ministry of Works had not found a single comprehensive engineering design or complete subsoil investigation for the entire route. Each section, he explained, requires technical studies and environmental and social assessments before its cost can be established.
Defending expenditure on Section One, Umahi cited a 47-kilometer stretch valued at N1.06 trillion and said its six-lane configuration made direct comparisons with conventional two-lane roads misleading. He also said Section Two, covering 55 kilometers, would involve 19 bridges, illustrating how engineering demands could differ from one segment to another.
Umahi expressed confidence that the entire project could be completed in roughly three years, although he acknowledged the complexity of the sections passing through the Niger Delta. He said five of nine sections were already being pursued, with work still required in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa and Edo states.
The explanation has prompted renewed demands for disclosure. Activist David Ugolor, writing through the Common Good Letter initiative, urged the ministry to publish route maps, section boundaries, procurement approvals, contract values, compensation obligations and realistic completion schedules. He argued that sectional procurement must still be guided by a coherent and publicly accessible plan for the full corridor.
Separately, the federal government inaugurated 30.58 kilometers of work on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano expressway. Kano Governor Abba Yusuf performed the ceremony on behalf of President Bola Tinubu. Umahi said the administration had addressed stalled work and adopted continuously reinforced concrete pavement on substantial portions of the road, while Yusuf said the project would improve regional transport and commerce.
The central question now is not merely whether the widely circulated N15 trillion estimate is accurate, but when Nigerians will receive a consolidated account of the highway’s approved contracts, projected remaining costs and delivery milestones.
