Precious Nwonu, Enugu
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the Federal Government is targeting the completion of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway within three years.
Umahi disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, expressing confidence that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would deliver the project within the projected timeframe.
“We have four years plus by God’s special grace. So we are looking at three years,” the minister said.
Asked whether the entire highway would be completed within that period, Umahi attributed his confidence to his faith and trust in the President’s leadership.
He said the timeline was a projection, but did not provide a detailed construction schedule or specific completion dates for the different sections of the road.
The coastal highway is one of the Federal Government’s major infrastructure projects, designed to improve connectivity along Nigeria’s southern coastline. Its construction has attracted public debate over procurement procedures, project costs and government spending priorities amid concerns about the condition of existing federal roads.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the contract award, Umahi acknowledged that the project was not subjected to public bidding but maintained that the government used direct procurement, which he said was lawful.
“There was no public bidding, but there was direct procurement. It’s within the law. That’s all I’ve just said,” he stated.
The minister also defended the administration’s broader road construction programme, saying his ministry was currently handling about 17,000 kilometres of road construction and rehabilitation.
“Out of about 35,000 kilometres of our federal roads, the one that is before me in the Ministry of Works, if you remove the few legacy projects we are constructing, we are constructing 17,000 kilometres of roads presently,” he said.
According to Umahi, the ministry has completed approximately 1,700 kilometres of roads since the administration took office, in addition to more than six kilometres of flyovers, bridges and underpasses.
He argued that the government’s major infrastructure projects were not limited to building entirely new roads, explaining that existing routes within the project corridors were also being reconstructed.
Umahi further said the projects were designed to attract investment, with 30 per cent of the funding expected from Federal Government companies and 70 per cent through loans.
Defending the coastal highway, he cited growing traffic congestion along the Lagos corridor, particularly between Victoria Island and Lekki, warning that the situation could worsen without additional transport infrastructure.
The minister also addressed criticism over plans to engage 4,000 social media influencers to promote the administration’s projects. He said he would personally finance the initiative rather than use funds from the Ministry of Works.
“Dave Umahi is funding, not Minister of Works, is funding influencers to advertise what I’m doing because I believe in what I’m doing. I believe in what the president is doing,” he said.
He acknowledged that the initiative would also help promote Tinubu politically ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Umahi dismissed suggestions that his criticism of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi was motivated by his own presidential ambition, describing such speculation as disrespectful to Tinubu.
“I cannot wish the position of my boss. It is disloyalty and it’s unspiritual and disrespectful,” he said.
The minister said he hoped to be remembered for infrastructure development, helping people and supporting the integration of the South-East into national politics.
“My legacy will be the people I have made to laugh. The roads I have constructed, the people I have lifted up. And the region of South-East that I support being totally integrated,” he added.