By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, said no procurement violations on Lagos-Calabar Highway Projects.
The minister stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, while updating journalists on the achievements of this administration.
Specifically, he told Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe to study the
Procurement Act, so as not to accuse the work of the current administration.
The minister said due process was followed in the award of the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway project.
He said Abaribe’s criticism was an attack on his integrity.
The minister added that all statutory requirements, including the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), were met.
“There are three categories of procurement recognised by the Procurement Act. I want Senator Abaribe to go and study it and come back to tell Nigerians whether there was any infringement in the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway.
“The project was openly advertised, subjected to stakeholder engagement, and certified after an internationally recognised ESIA process.
“International financiers later adjudged the project properly packaged, of very high quality, and even undervalued.
“The project was so credible that when it was presented to foreign financial institutions, it was oversubscribed by over 100 million dollars”.
Speaking further on the project delivery, the minister disclosed that section one of the Lagos coastal road has reached about 85 per cent completion and would soon be opened to traffic.
He said the second section was also progressing steadily, while procurement processes were ongoing for other segments.
Umahi used the occasion to highlight what he described as renewed federal presence in the South-east under President Bola Tinubu, citing major road, bridge, power, and security projects across the zone.
There was a time the Southeast was totally excluded. That has changed. Today, the president has included us, and that inclusion is real and visible,” he said.
He listed projects such as the Enugu–Onitsha expressway, Enugu–Port Harcourt road, Second Niger Bridge bypass, Abakaliki–Enugu road, and several flyovers and bridges, saying many had either been completed or were at advanced stages.
Umahi also argued that increased federal support to states had boosted performance at the sub-national level, pointing to Abia State as an example.
“The performance you see at the state level is possible because the federal government released more funds to governors,” he said.
The Minister also disclosed that the President Tinubu’s Engineering Mentorship Programme is aimed at training young civil engineers, electrial and mechanical engineers and artisans.
He said the landmark programme aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s road and infrastructure network into veritable national economic assets that promote national integration, economic growth, and sustainable development.
He maintained that through this initiative, thousands of young Nigerians will gain hands-on engineering experience, technical mentorship, and real-time exposure to ongoing Federal Government construction projects across the country.
