‘I Am Your Senior in Governance and Engineering’ — Umahi Dares Makinde to Public Debate Over Lagos–Calabar Highway Cost

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has challenged the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, to a public debate over comments made by the governor on the cost of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.

Umahi, who described himself as Makinde’s senior both in governance and engineering practice, said the Oyo governor lacked a proper understanding of the technical and financial structure of the project and should seek clarification instead of “making political statements” to mislead the public.

Speaking on Saturday during an inspection tour of the Keffi Bridge and the Nasarawa–Toto Road projects in Nasarawa State, Umahi said Makinde’s claim that the Federal Government was “dancing around” the true cost of the project was unfounded and misleading.

> “I heard that my brother and friend, Governor Makinde of Oyo State, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him. I think he’s an engineer — an electrical engineer, they call it ‘elect-elect’. But this road construction matter, ‘elect-elect no reach there’,” Umahi said.

“I am his senior both in governance and in engineering practice. So, anything he doesn’t understand, he should call me and ask. I have great respect for him as my friend and brother, but he should withdraw the statement that I’m dancing around. I never danced around. If he insists, he should come for a debate, which is very important.”

Governor Makinde had, during an interview on Friday, accused the Minister of Works of refusing to disclose the cost per kilometre of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, urging him to “stop dancing around” and come clean with Nigerians.

In response, Umahi maintained that there was no ambiguity in determining the cost per kilometre, explaining that the figures include allowances for contingencies and variation of price (VOP) which might not eventually be utilised.

> “There is no ambiguity in cost per kilometre,” he said. “I am teaching them that cost per kilometre can be divided into estimated cost, which has elements of variance, and average cost, which is definitive. When the project is completed and you remove what you didn’t use, such as contingencies and VOP, then you have your actual cost.”

The minister further mocked critics who, according to him, resorted to consulting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to interpret his explanation.

> “When somebody who is dangling without knowledge goes to ask AI the difference between cost per kilometre and average cost, I’m happy that AI told him exactly what I said,” Umahi stated.

The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, a 700-kilometre project intended to connect the nation’s commercial capital to its coastal cities, has continued to stir controversy over cost transparency, contract details, and displacement concerns.

Umahi’s outburst marks a new twist in the ongoing debate, as he insisted that the project was being executed in the most transparent and technically sound manner.