Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has faulted Minister of Works, David Umahi, over his handling of questions regarding the cost of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project approved by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking at an event in a viral video on Friday, Makinde said there was no reason for the minister to be “dancing around the cost” when asked to provide details.
The governor was reacting to the heated on-air exchange between Umahi and Arise Television presenter, Rufai Oseni, earlier in the week. During the interview, Oseni had pressed the minister to disclose the kilometre-by-kilometre breakdown of the project’s cost — a question that drew strong reactions from Umahi.
Defending the journalist, Makinde said transparency demands that such a question should not be avoided by a public official.
“They asked a minister how much the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around, saying that the next kilometre is different from the previous kilometres. Then what is the average cost?” Makinde said.
Drawing comparisons with projects executed under his administration, the governor gave examples of road projects in Oyo State to highlight the importance of cost disclosure.
“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. That’s about 34 or 35 kilometres, giving an average cost of N238 million per kilometre.
“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, which was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, with an average cost of about N500 million per kilometre. We had two bridges — one over the Ogun River and another at the Ogbomoso end.”
Makinde’s comments add to growing public scrutiny of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a multi-trillion-naira project championed by the Federal Government and designed to connect key economic corridors across the southern region.
