LAGOS-CALABAR HIGHWAY HAS NO SINGLE ENGINEERING DESIGN – UMAHI

Minister of Works David Umahi has said there is no single comprehensive engineering design covering the entire 750-kilometre Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, Umahi explained that the project is being designed, procured and costed in separate sections.

The disclosure comes more than two years after construction began in March 2024, amid questions about the highway’s total cost and delivery.

According to the minister, each section requires environmental assessments and soil investigations to determine its route and engineering needs.

He argued that differences in terrain, bridges and construction requirements make it inappropriate to estimate the project’s total cost by multiplying one section’s average cost per kilometre by 750.

Umahi also challenged the widely circulated ₦15 trillion estimate, questioning how the figure was calculated.

“There is no one single design that the 750 kilometres of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is holding,” he said.

The minister maintained that the Federal Executive Council-approved procurement arrangement allows the highway to be handled section by section.

He added that, although the project’s concept dates back decades, he had not found a complete engineering design or detailed soil investigation covering the entire route in the ministry’s archives.

Defending construction costs, Umahi compared a section of the Nigerian highway with a coastal road in neighbouring Benin Republic. He presented the comparison as support for his assessment of the project’s pricing.

His explanation distinguishes the absence of one complete design for the entire corridor from the individual designs he said are developed for its sections.

However, a comprehensive final cost for the full highway was not established in the remarks provided.