Atiku demands answers on Lagos-Calabar highway route shift and $20bn loan

Atiku Abubakar, African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, has demanded full transparency from President Bola Tinubu's administration regarding modifications to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and a potential $20 billion external loan tied to the initiative. Through his campaign council's director of strategic communication, Atiku called for public disclosure of all project contracts, payment records, and loan details before the National Assembly grants approval.

The former Vice President has specifically challenged the decision to shift sections away from the coastal alignment originally presented to citizens. Atiku contends that altering the project's path constitutes a fundamental departure from the public proposal and demands complete disclosure of expenses and technical specifications.

He has sought clarification on who authorized the initial route, what contract terms were granted, how much funding has been disbursed to date, and how cost variations following rerouting will be managed. According to Atiku's statement, legislators have encountered pressure to ratify the loan without sufficient public examination.

His campaign council has requested that Works Minister David Umahi release original feasibility and environmental assessments, alongside both preliminary and updated design documents and route maps. Making these materials available would help Nigerians grasp the technical and financial consequences of such project modifications.

The accusations surface as the Federal Government proceeds with major infrastructure undertakings under President Tinubu's tenure. Atiku's intervention places the highway initiative under political scrutiny during an electoral period, with matters of project management and loan clarity still unresolved by government authorities at the moment these assertions were issued.