Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to disregard public criticism surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project and commit more funding to ongoing infrastructure works across the country.
Speaking Thursday at the commissioning of the Deep Sea Port Access Road in Lagos, Umahi said the controversial 700km highway project had received positive attention from international stakeholders, who, according to him, described the project as undervalued.
“I want to assure you, sir, that the international financiers have given you kudos because they say the project is even undervalued,” Umahi said. “Don’t listen to people. Give us more money; we will deliver all these projects.”
The minister’s comments follow widespread concerns over the cost and transparency of the highway, which has drawn scrutiny from civil society groups and opposition lawmakers.
Addressing President Tinubu directly, Umahi defended the valuation of the project and highlighted the complex terrain involved in its construction.
“This highway… tell me the cost of a kilometre. What can you quantify as the cost when you compare a section with bad soil to one with stable ground?” he said, adding, “I am a Fellow of the Society of Engineers, and I understand the figures.”
Umahi said the first 30 kilometres of the highway had been commissioned and expressed confidence in completing the section by December.
“We shall toll it,” he said, “and Section 2 will also be close to completion.”
READ ALSO: 2027: South East Govs Behind Tinubu, Obi Should Join Too — Umahi
In response, President Tinubu backed the minister’s appeal, saying the government remained focused on infrastructure despite criticism.
“Don’t listen to those critics; they don’t know what they’re talking about,” Tinubu said. “If they don’t like the road or think it’s too expensive, toll it. If they don’t like it, they can use Idumota.”
The Deep Sea Port Access Road, also commissioned on Thursday, is a 27km dual-lane concrete road expected to support logistics operations at the new Lekki Deep Sea Port.
“This road will help ease the congestion challenges we faced at Apapa Port,” Umahi said.
Notable figures present at the event included billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, and Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.
During the ceremony, Dangote announced that the road leading to the Dangote Refinery would be named after President Tinubu “in recognition of his contributions to infrastructural development.”
The road, part of eight major projects totaling 500km, links Epe–Ijebu Ode to the Sagamu–Benin Expressway and is expected to strengthen trade routes across the region, including connections to Cameroon and Chad.