Umahi Confirms No Unified Design for Lagos-Calabar Highway

David Umahi, the Minister of Works, disclosed that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway does not have a single engineering design covering the entire route, despite construction beginning in March 2024. During an interview on Arise Television, Umahi explained that the project is designed and costed section by section.

He noted that the highway has been conceptualized since 1955 and was gazetted in 2006, but no complete engineering design or detailed technical documents exist in the ministry's archives. Umahi emphasized that the procurement arrangement approved by the Federal Executive Council mandates section-by-section procurement due to varying terrain and engineering requirements.

He questioned the validity of the estimated N15 trillion cost associated with the project and clarified that a standard two-lane carriageway would cost approximately $5.5 million (N7.3 billion) per kilometre, based on comparisons with a similar project in Benin Republic.