The Federal Government has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of the N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, urging Nigerians to ignore his comments.
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, while speaking in Akure, Ondo State, defended the project, stating that it is one of President Bola Tinubu’s four major legacy initiatives.
Obasanjo, in his book Nigeria: Past and Future, had labeled the highway a wasteful and corrupt venture, also condemning the administration’s N21 billion expenditure on a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Reacting, Umahi dismissed the former president’s remarks, saying critics were free to avoid the road upon completion.
“This Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a landmark project that will transform Nigeria’s economy. If anyone believes it is a waste, they should not use it when completed,” Umahi said.
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He further defended the project’s transparency, insisting that every aspect of its execution has been made public.
“If someone calls this project fraudulent, they are also calling me a fraud, and I am definitely not. This project is transparent, and all processes are in the public domain,” he added.
Umahi suggested that opposition to the project stemmed from envy, saying, “Some people are waking up to realize that one man is being credited with such legacies, especially when they had the opportunity to do the same but failed.”
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 700km road stretching across several states, is expected to boost economic activities, improve trade, and enhance transportation along Nigeria’s coastline.