ABUJA: Minister of Works, David Umahi, has responded to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, following the latter’s recent remarks questioning the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Umahi maintained that the governor’s comments reflected a misunderstanding of the technical and financial principles guiding large-scale infrastructure projects.
During an inspection tour of the Keffi Bridge and Nasarawa–Toto Road projects on Saturday, which he undertook alongside Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, Umahi explained that the cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was thoroughly computed according to global engineering standards and could not be trivialised as political soundbites.
Governor Makinde had earlier raised concerns over the figures being presented by the Works Ministry regarding the cost per kilometre of the coastal highway one of President Bola Tinubu’s flagship infrastructure projects.
In a viral video shared on Friday, Makinde said there was no need for Umahi to be dancing around the cost of the project, insisting that the figures should be clearly stated.
These are elementary questions, Makinde said.
A process is ongoing, payments have been made, and the money is meant for the project. It will be paid according to the work done.
Reacting, Umahi described Makinde as a brother and friend, but said it was improper to accuse him publicly of evading questions about project costs.
I heard that my brother and friend, Governor Makinde, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him, Umahi said.
He continued, I am his senior both in governance and in engineering practice. So, anything he doesn’t understand, he should call me and ask.
I have great respect for him as my friend and brother, but he should withdraw that statement that I’m dancing around. I never danced around. If he insists, he should come for a debate which is very important.
Defending the coastal highway project further, Umahi clarified that there was no ambiguity regarding the cost per kilometre, explaining that it must be viewed from both estimated and average perspectives.
There is no ambiguity in cost per kilometre, he said. Cost per kilometre can be divided into estimated cost and average cost.
The estimated cost includes elements of variance such as contingencies and price variations, while the average cost is definitive.
When the project is completed and unused allocations are deducted, the actual cost emerges.
The minister also joked about critics who sought clarification through Artificial Intelligence (AI), saying he was pleased that the AI’s response confirmed his explanation.
When someone without technical knowledge goes to ask AI about the difference between cost per kilometre and average cost, I’m happy that AI told him exactly what I said,” he quipped.
Umahi went further to cite the National Universities Commission (NUC)’s clarification on who qualifies as a professor, arguing that professional experience also constitutes expertise.
I’m happy that the NUC programme on who is a professor also made me right. You can become a professor by the reason of your practice.
And I think God has made me one when it comes to practical, field engineering, he said.
Umahi reaffirmed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway remains a strategic national project aimed at strengthening connectivity, boosting trade, and supporting regional development, stressing that the debate over its cost should not distract from its economic importance.
