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Makinde Criticises Umahi Over Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Cost Debate

ByTitilope Adako

PublishedOctober 10, 2025

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticised Minister of Works, David Umahi, over his handling of questions on the cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Makinde’s comments came in reaction to a heated exchange between Umahi and Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni during a live television interview on Tuesday.

Oseni had asked the minister to provide a kilometre-by-kilometre breakdown of the highway’s cost, a request Umahi dismissed.

“These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense. A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?’. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.

“When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.

“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”

Oseni, however, refused to back down, responding, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”

Justifying the journalist’s question, Makinde said in a viral video of his Friday remarks, “They asked a minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?

“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.

“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 700km road crossing nine states with two spurs to northern regions, was announced by Umahi last year.

He revealed that the first phase, a 47.47-kilometre dual carriageway, had been handed over to Hitech Construction Company Limited for construction using concrete pavement.

Umahi, accompanied by the Federal Ministry of Works’ Lagos State Controller, Mrs O. I. Kesha, emphasised the need for all contractors handling federal road projects to deliver within record time, noting that the government would not allow variation arising from delays or slow pace of work once mobilisation had been done.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.