The Nigerian Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi has reacted to the statement attributed to the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar over the ongoing 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project.
Umahi who made the reaction during his inspection visit to the on-going rehabilitation of Enugu – Port Harcourt dual carriageway section 4 (Aba – Port Harcourt) handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd (CCECC) on Monday, 8th April 2024.
Atiku, in a press statement signed on his behalf by his media assistant, Paul Ibe recently, made false allusions, to denigrate and find faults in the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project, which was inaugurated as one of the signature projects of President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
The Minister in his response, described the analysis of Atiku made on the coastal road project figures and the economic importance of the all-important coastal highway project as a gross misrepresentation of facts, and figures and a ploy to mislead Nigerians by darkening counsel without knowledge.
He said the former Vice President doesn’t understand figures. “I am going to run figures for him to understand, and he will understand how prudent the administration of President Tinubu has been. He will understand how prudency is taking the centre stage in this administration”.
Umahi in his explanation revealed that the President has once queried him on the cost of on-going projects nationwide. “I had to analyse every basic rate of construction materials to arrive at our unit rates. I showed it to Mr. President. He still thinks I should bring down the cost of projects.
He added, “At the same time, the contractors are crying that I am oppressing them so much by reviewing the costs of their projects downwards. They lamented that what they were getting before, they are no longer getting it now. They cried out.
“But when I run the figures, Nigerians will see what this present administration is doing. So, I’m not here to run the figures now. I will do that in a press conference on my visit to Lagos from 10th April 2024 to 12th April 2024”, Umahi disclosed.
On the economic importance of the coastal highway, the Minister stated, “I will tell you the economic benefits of the project and how the coastal road is tying the entire country together. It’s not tying just South-South and South- West.
“It is tying the North and South together. We are starting the project from Badagry to Sokoto, and we have a spur on this coastal route to that route and the African Trans Sahara Road that is passing from Enugu to Abakaliki to Ogoja to Cameroon which has a spur to the North”.
Umahi said, “His Excellency, former Vice President Akitu Abubakar, may not know that the third section of the project is starting in Calabar by July 2024”, commended the pace and quality of work on the projects he visited but harped on the need for the contractors to heed the project delivery timeline.
Speaking on the progress of the work at the East West Road section III, Umahi said, “The reinforcement is very good, the concrete is very good, the speed is not very good, so they have to increase their speed.
He added, “If RCC doesn’t increase their pace, I will take out a portion of this road and give it to another contractor. We will not want contractors to stay on a job like this 15 km dualization for two years or more.”
The Minister also visited the construction of a 23-span flyover bridge project at Eke- Obinagu Junction (NNPC Depot), along Enugu Abakaliki Road, Enugu handled by Reinforced Global Resources Ltd.
The rehabilitation work at the collapsed bridge site at the New Artisan Bridge near NNPC mega fillings station Enugu Capital City, Enugu State handled by CCECC, the rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway Section 3, Enugu- Lokpanta handled by CGC.
The Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway section 2 (Umuahia Tower-Aba Township Rail/ Road) in Abia State, handled by the Arab Contractors.
And the reconstruction of the dualized 15km section of the East-West road section III: (Eleme Junction- Onne Port in Rivers being executed on reinforced concrete pavement like the coastal road) handled by RCC.
Reacting to these inspections, the Minister said that the administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to a diversified and sustainable economic future of Nigeria.
He added that “this is what Mr President is doing in works sector through aggressive infrastructure development that provide access to trade, tourism, industrialization and safety, especially along the local economic corridors.