Umahi Challenges Makinde To Public Debate Over Highway Cost
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has fired back at Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his recent comments on the cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, challenging him to a public debate on engineering and project cost evaluation.
Speaking during an inspection of the Abuja–Mararaba–Keffi Expressway on Friday, Umahi dismissed Makinde’s remarks as misleading and reflective of a poor understanding of road construction and cost analysis.
The former Ebonyi State governor, who described himself as a “first-class civil engineer,” defended the cost of the 700-kilometre project, explaining that road construction expenses differ based on terrain, soil composition, materials, and design specifications.
“Governor Makinde should withdraw his statement or come forward for a public debate. I am his senior in both engineering and governance. I was an ‘A’ student in mathematics and engineering. He should not trivialize technical work,” Umahi stated.
He stressed that no two road projects can have identical costs because of variations in geography and construction components.
According to him, the Lagos-Calabar highway includes several bridges, coastal protections, and complex designs, making it incomparable to inland roads.
Responding to Makinde’s earlier claim that the Federal Government was “dancing around figures,” Umahi insisted that the Ministry of Works had followed due process and maintained transparency in the award and execution of contracts.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road is a legacy project under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Every figure we have published is verifiable, and every contractor is being monitored for quality and accountability,” he added.
The disagreement between both leaders stems from Makinde’s remarks questioning the cost and execution of the multi-billion-naira project.
While Governor Makinde has yet to respond to Umahi’s challenge, political observers say the exchange highlights growing debates over transparency, project execution, and accountability in the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure drive.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, stretching from Lagos through nine coastal states to Calabar, remains one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Nigeria’s history and is expected to enhance trade, tourism, and connectivity across the southern corridor.
