…Challenges Media Over Reporting
Date: August 15, 2026
By Abraham Ovuoba
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed allegations that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was over-budgeted or awarded through improper procedures, insisting that the project was subjected to due process and specialised procurement because of its peculiar engineering and marine requirements.
Umahi spoke during an inspection of the 125.5-kilometre Ndibe Beach–Onueke–Ukwuachi–Ishieke road in Ebonyi State and the Nwedeoga–Ndidenyi–Ishieke corridor in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.
He said the Federal Government adopted special procurement for the coastal highway, a process recognised by the Bureau of Public Procurement and approved by the Federal Executive Council.
According to him, the decision was informed by the difficult terrain and severe ocean surge along the coastline, which require specialised engineering solutions.
“Along this coast, you are confronted with severe ocean surge,” Umahi said, citing previous coastal stabilisation works around Lagos Victoria Island and Eko Atlantic.
The minister also disclosed that the cost of concrete for the coastal highway was about N350,000 per cubic metre, compared with N460,000 per cubic metre in some other recent road projects.
He said an international banking consortium auditing the project in connection with its 70 per cent funding had concluded that the project was undervalued relative to its structural design.
Umahi also challenged journalists to verify facts and report developments on federal infrastructure projects based on what they see on the ground rather than social media narratives.
He said his decision to regularly take journalists on inspection tours was intended to expose them to the actual progress of projects, particularly in the South-East.
“If you have been reporting what you are seeing, my job would have been very much less and easier,” he said.
The minister listed the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway and the Ebonyi State Legacy Corridor among major projects recording progress.
He said one carriageway of the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway had been completed, while work had commenced on the second 41-kilometre carriageway, with four kilometres of reinforced concrete pavement already laid.
Umahi said the 125.5-kilometre Ebonyi Legacy Corridor would involve dualisation and reconstruction through Ndibe Beach, Abaomege and Ezza Nation, with flyovers planned at Ukwuachi and other strategic locations.
He added that the Federal Government was also executing other major corridors, including the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Akwanga-Jos-Maiduguri corridor and Trans-Sahara Highway, to improve connectivity, reduce travel time and boost economic activities.
The minister further disclosed plans to deploy specialised highway guard units to protect motorists, travellers and freight operators along major highways.
He assured communities affected by road construction that the government would continue to ensure fair treatment in land acquisition and compensation, adding that some road alignments had been adjusted to protect public facilities and vulnerable residents.
