The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended the cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying its engineering specifications and challenging terrain make it cheaper than comparable road projects when assessed on equivalent terms.
Umahi said Section One of the highway, covering 47.47 kilometres from Victoria Island to Eleko Village in Lagos, had a contract value of about ₦1.06tn but cost approximately ₦7.3bn to ₦7.5bn per kilometre when adjusted to a standard two-lane carriageway.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News anchor, Ojy Okpe, the minister argued that critics had wrongly assessed the project by dividing its total contract sum by its length without accounting for the multiple carriageways and supporting infrastructure.
“You have to compare apple to apple,” he said, insisting that road width, pavement specifications, bridges, drainage and terrain must be considered when comparing construction costs.
Umahi said the coastal highway was being built with reinforced concrete pavement and would feature solar-powered lighting, underground drainage, two-metre walkways, crash barriers and a corridor reserved for a railway line.
He also highlighted the ground preparation required along the Lagos section, saying about 30 kilometres involved removing unsuitable material to an average depth of 10 metres before filling the area again.
According to him, the road level also had to be raised by an average of five metres, adding to the project's engineering demands.
The minister further cited rising construction material costs, saying the price of concrete had increased from ₦350,000 to ₦460,000 per cubic metre since the contract was awarded, without a corresponding adjustment to the contract sum.
“When we started, concrete was ₦350,000 per cubic metre. Today, it is ₦460,000 per cubic metre. The contract price has not changed,” he said.
Umahi compared the coastal highway with the Bodo-Bonny Road in Rivers State, sections of the East-West Road and other coastal road projects in West Africa, arguing that the Lagos-Calabar project was competitively priced when assessed against similar engineering requirements.
He also said Deutsche Bank, which led the financing for Section One, had scrutinised the project's pricing before arranging funding.
According to the minister, the bank considered the project underpriced, while the financing attracted subscriptions exceeding the amount sought by $100m.
Umahi maintained that the cost of Section One could not be applied uniformly to the entire 750-kilometre highway because soil conditions, bridges and other engineering requirements varied along the route.
“There are no two sections that are the same,” he said.
The minister's defence comes amid sustained public scrutiny of the project's cost, with critics questioning the contract sum and the government's justification for the expenditure.
Umahi insisted that the highway represented value for money, arguing that comparisons which ignored its construction specifications and difficult terrain gave a misleading picture of its cost.
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