Makinde tackles Umahi over coastal highway cost: ‘Stop dancing around the figures’

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticised the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for what he described as an attempt to dodge transparency over the true cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

Speaking in a viral video on Friday, Governor Makinde said there was no justification for Umahi’s refusal to provide a clear cost breakdown of the 700-kilometre project, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know how public funds are being spent.

“They asked a minister how much the coastal road is, and then you are dancing around, saying the next kilometre is different from the next kilometre. Then what is the average cost?” Makinde queried.

The governor’s remarks came days after a heated on-air exchange between Umahi and Arise News presenter, Rufai Oseni, during which the journalist had asked the minister to provide the per-kilometre cost of the highway.

The question appeared to irritate Umahi, who retorted that the request was “elementary,” adding that road construction costs vary by terrain and that the issue was too technical for the journalist to grasp.

“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field… You have no knowledge of what you are asking,” Umahi said during the encounter that quickly went viral.

Oseni, however, stood his ground, responding: “Minister, it’s alright. Keep dignifying yourself and let the world know who you truly are.”

Makinde, aligning with the journalist, insisted that providing an average cost was not a complicated request. Drawing from his own experience as governor, he cited examples of road projects executed in Oyo State with clear per-kilometre costs.

“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road, it was about ₦9.99 billion for roughly 35 kilometres –  that’s an average of ₦238 million per kilometre. When we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso – 76 kilometres – it cost about ₦43 billion, averaging ₦500 million per kilometre. And that included two bridges,” Makinde explained.

The governor’s comments reignite debate over the transparency and pricing of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Last year, the Federal Government announced the commencement of the 700-kilometre dual carriageway, spanning nine states with spurs linking northern regions. The first phase, a 47.47-kilometre section,  was handed to Hitech Construction Company Limited, with construction to be done using concrete pavement.

According to a statement from Umahi’s media aide, Uchenna Orji, the minister had at the handover ceremony in Lagos urged contractors to deliver their projects promptly, warning that delays or variations would not be tolerated after mobilisation funds were released.

The Lagos-Calabar project has continued to stir controversy amid questions about its procurement process, environmental impact, and cost transparency, issues Makinde’s comments have now brought sharply back into public focus.