David Umahi, Minister of Works under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has defended the ₦7.5 billion per kilometer cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, insisting that the figure reflects the highway’s design, quality, and engineering complexities.
Speaking to journalists, Umahi provided a detailed breakdown of the first 47.47-kilometer section of the 700km project, which is estimated at ₦1.067 trillion. The stretch will feature six lanes, flyovers, underpasses, shoreline protection, solar-powered street lighting, and landscaping.
“A standard coastal road is going for N7.5 billion per kilometer of standard highway,” Umahi said. “However, this N7.5 billion includes all the fillings, shore protections, solar lighting throughout, and planting of trees.”
He explained that the figure is calculated by dividing the total cost of the six-lane stretch by its length and adjusting to a standard two-lane measurement used for federal highways. “The first section, 47.47 kilometers, is costing ₦1.067 trillion and is six lanes. When you divide this ₦1.067 trillion by 47.47 and by two, you will get 11.57 — a kilometer of three lanes. A standard federal highway is two lanes. So by the time you now divide by three and multiply by two, you will see that a standard coastal road is going for ₦7.5 billion per kilometer,” he said.
Umahi added that the project has faced challenging terrain, including pits up to 20 meters deep that had to be excavated and refilled in stages before construction could continue. “You encounter a pit of up to 20 meters and then this pit we removed and then refilled with lumps in levels and stages and then we are passing through there now. At kilometer 32, we also encountered such,” he noted.
He also compared the project with previous asphalt-based road initiatives, highlighting that the use of reinforced concrete makes the highway longer-lasting and more cost-effective. “As at five years ago, the cost of one meter cubed of concrete awarded by the past administration was ₦729,000 per meter cubed. We started the coastal highway with ₦350,000 per meter cubed. So leave out the president or any other person, hold me accountable, ask me questions, come for debate, and I will give you the cost of one meter cubed of concrete,” Umahi said.
The minister revealed that the project has been reviewed and approved by Dutch and other international financial institutions, which described it as “undervalued.” “The Dutch bank that led the other international banks to review the cost of the project said it was undervalued. And when it was time to fund the 70% loan component, the project was oversubscribed by 100 million US dollars,” he added.
Umahi challenged critics to be objective and transparent, saying, “If the financial institutions can give us this credit, we are ready to face anybody. But when you are criticising us, be very objective and tell the public the truth.”
His remarks follow backlash over an earlier exchange with Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni, who asked for a breakdown of the cost per kilometer. The incident drew public debate, with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde supporting the journalist and emphasizing that government officials owe Nigerians transparency.
The 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, stretching across nine states, remains one of the Tinubu administration’s most ambitious and scrutinized infrastructure projects.