The statement released by former vice president, Abubakar Atiku, casting doubts on the figures and methodology used by the Federal Government to award the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway, is causing serious ripples across the nation.
In the statement, Atiku had queried the award of the contract to Hitech Construction Ltd, a company owned by a Lebanese Nigerian, Gilbert Chagoury, who is also a close known associate of President Bola Tinubu.
The crux of the statement was that the humongous contract was awarded without competitive bidding, no full cost disclosure, while N1.06 trillion was released for a section of the work from Eko Atlantic to the Lekki Deep Sea Zone.
Now the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi has come out swinging against Atiku Abubakar.
Umahi said the full figures for the contract would be disclosed on Friday.
Umahi who spoke during the inspection of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, said Atiku was trying to misinform Nigerians with gross misrepresentation of facts.
He is quoted as saying:
Atiku Abubakar doesn’t understand figures. I am going to run figures for him to understand, and he will understand how prudent the administration of President Tinubu has been. He will understand how prudency is taking center stage in this administration. The President has once queried me on the cost of ongoing projects nationwide. I had to analyze every basic rate of construction materials to arrive at our unit rates. I showed it to Mr. President. He still thinks I should bring down the cost of projects.
“At the same time, the contractors are crying that I am oppressing them so much by reviewing the costs of their projects downwards. They lamented that what they were getting before, they are no longer getting it now. They cried out. But when I run the figures, Nigerians will see what this present administration is doing.
So, I am not here to run the figures now. I will do that in a press conference on my visit to Lagos from April 10, 2024 to April 12, 2024.
Atiku had raised alarm that the contract was especially awarded to Tinubu’s known business associate and expressed fears that the contract was only meant to be done within Lagos, while Calabar was mischievously touted as the end-point to deflect criticisms from Nigerians
