The federal government has fired back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his criticism of the N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, declaring that those opposing the initiative should refrain from using it once completed.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, made the remarks on Thursday in Akure, Ondo State, during an interactive session on the project.
“This Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of President Tinubu’s four legacy projects. For those saying it is a waste of resources, they should not use the road when it is completed,” Umahi stated.
He dismissed Obasanjo’s claims that the project was wasteful and corrupt, urging Nigerians to ignore such remarks.
“If someone calls this project fraudulent, they are also calling me a fraud, and I am definitely not. This project has been very transparent, and we continue to engage stakeholders. Every step of the process is in the public domain,” he added.
Obasanjo had criticised the 700km highway in his book, Nigeria: Past and the Future, tagging it a misplaced priority.
In response, Umahi insisted that the former president’s remarks were unfounded.
“The man (Obasanjo), by his age, deserves our respect, but it’s my duty as the Minister of Works to clarify that the project is not wasteful and not corrupt,” he declared.
Umahi further highlighted the project’s progress, noting that “Section One of the Lagos-Calabar, which is 47.7 kilometers, is already about 70 percent completed within one year. I will be asking those criticising it not to follow the road. They should not follow the road.”
Meanwhile, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting federal road projects in the state.
“We have not had it this good in recent times with federal projects in our state. Permit me to mention but a few: the Akure-Ore Dual Carriageway, the Akure-Ado Ekiti Dual Carriageway, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, and the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Akure,” Aiyedatiwa said.
He emphasized the importance of these projects for economic growth and called for additional federal support, particularly for the Ondo Deep Sea Port and measures to address the Ayetoro sea incursion.
Assuring Umahi of the state government’s full backing, Aiyedatiwa pledged, “We are resolute in our commitment to ensuring that these projects are completed for the benefit of our people. In this regard, I pledge the Ondo State Government’s unflinching support and commitment towards their completion.”
