- Backs ARISE TV’s Rufai Oseni on fact-finding inquiries
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has challenged the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to stop “dancing around the cost” of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project embarked upon by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Weighing in on the project cost, Governor Makinde said there is no need for the Minister to be evasive or shun any direct discussion about the cost implication of the highway.
The governor, who spoke at an event captured in a viral video on Friday, was reacting to a heated exchange that unfolded on live television between Umahi and Arise TV presenter, Rufai Oseni on Tuesday.
He hinted that avoiding an upfront answer is preventing Nigerians from having a clear understanding of the issue and also indicates the project is an uncomfortable topic for the Minister to discuss freely.
Governor Makinde further justified the journalist’s question to the Minister, Governor Makinde saying, “They asked a Minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?
“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.
“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost is about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”
Recalled that during the contentious interview, Oseni had requested the Minister to analyse kilometre by kilometre, the cost of the construction work on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which spans nine states and includes two spurs leading to the northern states.
The request did not sit well with Engineer Umahi, who declared himself “Professor” of practice in engineering while elaborating that the costs of the road in kilometres are not the same and would be too complicated for the journalist to understand.
He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.”
Offering further explanation, the Works Minister said, “When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.
“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”
But refusing to back down on his question, Oseni said, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”
