Lagos-Calabar highway: Return to library for real facts, Presidency tells Atiku

The Presidency on Monday faulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s comments on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, describing them as a “misrepresentation of facts.”

“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway and Lagos-Calabar Coastal rail are two distinct projects. It is unfortunate that the former Vice President is confused about the two projects…we urge him to return to the library for real facts,” the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement he signed Monday.

Onanuga was responding to Atiku’s allegation that President Bola Tinubu puts personal business interests before Nigeria’s Infrastructure growth.

The former Vice President said the Tinubu administration is engaged in questionable dealings amidst developing the 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.

Following approval by the Federal Executive Council, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced the commencement of construction on the 700km road.

Umahi said the contractor commenced work following the formal handover of the initial phase of the project, comprising 47.47km of dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Ltd.

Responding to Umahi’s statement, the former vice president, in a statement by his Media Coordinator, Paul Ibe, on Sunday, alleged that the project’s allocation to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech Construction Company Limited (Hitech), devoid of any documented competitive bidding process or decision by the FEC.

According to Atiku, the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project reentered public discussion during the waning days of the Goodluck Jonathan administration in November 2014.

However, due to his electoral defeat, the project failed to take off under Jonathan’s tenure.

Subsequently, former President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his commitment to kickstart the endeavour.

“Umahi refused to reveal how much the project would cost. He only explained that it would run through nine states and have a railroad running through the middle.

“Most importantly, the works minister said the project would come at zero cost to Nigeria, which is currently facing an all-time high level of debt,” Atiku argued.

Atiku clarified that the project’s concept was “build, operate, and transfer,” indicating that Hitech would construct the road, operate it for a certain period, recoup its investment through tollgates, and subsequently return it to the Nigerian government.

He stated, “Because the project did not require public funds, it did not go through approval from the National Assembly, which holds the power of appropriation. Also, the project only went through the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission with no record of competitive bidding since Chagoury’s firm was to fund the project 100 per cent.