Umahi Dares Makinde to Public Debate Over Coastal Highway Cost Figures

The verbal feud over the colossal Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project escalated into a public challenge on Saturday as the Minister of Works, David Umahi, fiercely rebutted criticisms from Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, regarding the cost per kilometre of the multi-trillion-naira infrastructure.

Governor Makinde had publicly lampooned the Minister for allegedly “dancing around” the figure when asked by a journalist for the average cost of the road per kilometre a question that has fueled public controversy over the project’s transparency. Makinde, an engineer himself, argued that calculating the average cost is “simple arithmetic” and provided examples from road projects undertaken in Oyo State to prove his point.

However, Umahi fired back during an inspection tour of federal projects in Nasarawa State, dismissing Makinde’s intervention as lacking the necessary technical insight into civil engineering.

“I heard that my brother and friend, Governor Makinde of Oyo State, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him,” Umahi stated, before delivering a cutting remark. “I think he is an engineer, I think he is an electrician, they call it ‘elect-elect’. But this road construction matter, ‘elect-elect no reach there’.”

Umahi, a former Governor of Ebonyi State, went on to declare himself Makinde’s senior in both governance and engineering practice. He challenged the Oyo State Governor to “withdraw the statement that I’m dancing around,” or face him in a public debate on the technicalities of road cost computation.

The Minister elaborated that critics, including Makinde, are making the fundamental error of confusing estimated cost with average cost. He explained that the initial estimated cost includes crucial elements like contingencies and price variation clauses, which might not be fully utilized.

“I am teaching them that cost per kilometre can be divided into estimated cost, which has elements of variance, and average cost, which is definitive,” Umahi explained. He maintained that the definitive, or actual average cost, can only be accurately computed after the project is completed and all unused allowances have been deducted.

The Minister’s challenge further intensifies the public scrutiny of the Lagos-Calabar Highway project, which has faced questions over its procurement process and overall economic viability since its inception.