Lagos-Calabar highway: Makinde demands audit of N15trn project

The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation has demanded a comprehensive audit of the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, accusing the Federal Government of raising fresh questions about its planning, procurement and cost following the recent realignment of the route.

The organisation said Nigerians deserved to know why the route was changed, how much had been spent and whether the Federal Government would reduce the contract sum, warning that the controversy had deepened concerns over accountability in the handling of public funds.

Journalists were briefed in Abuja on Tuesday by the organisation’s Director-General, Felix Hassan Hyat, who also urged Nigerians to reject President Bola Tinubu in 2027 and support Seyi Makinde, the presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, APM.

Hyat faulted the explanation by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, that climate change and environmental challenges necessitated the realignment, arguing that the development raised questions about whether adequate technical and environmental assessments had been conducted before the project was awarded.

“The vague reasons of climate change and environmental challenges adduced by Minister Umahi at this point, beg the question,” Hyat said.

The organisation also alleged that the contract was awarded in 2024 without an approved engineering design, an open and competitive bidding process or budgetary provision and statutory appropriation by the National Assembly.

It further questioned the relationship between the contractor’s corporate group and another firm whose board allegedly includes individuals linked to the Presidency, raising concerns about possible conflicts of interest.

The group also alleged that the project was designed as a conduit for financing the All Progressives Congress’s election expenses. The statement provided no supporting evidence for the allegation.

Demanding full disclosure, the organisation called for the publication of procurement and payment records, an independent engineering assessment of the Ondo realignment and a comprehensive audit of the project’s total cost, expenditure to date and execution plan.

“We demand that the President Tinubu-led government should publish the relevant engineering assessment, alternative-route analysis, accompanying cost implications and comprehensive audit of the work and amount so far spent,” the organisation said.

It argued that the controversy was particularly troubling at a time Nigerians were grappling with rising food prices, transportation costs and healthcare expenses, alongside higher university tuition fees.

The organisation maintained that it was not opposed to road construction but questioned the priority given to the coastal highway while several existing federal roads remained in poor condition.

“Nigeria is in dire need of infrastructures, no doubt, but not opaque contracts and expensive excuses!” Hyat declared.

Beyond the project, the organisation turned the controversy into a political challenge to Tinubu, urging Nigerians to vote against the President in 2027 and rally behind Makinde’s RESET NIGERIA agenda.

It described Makinde as an alternative capable of building consensus across party and regional divides, insisting that the country’s future should take precedence over the President’s political ambition.

“The future of Nigeria must take precedence over President Tinubu’s personal ambition,” Hyat said.