Umahi defends coastal highway award, denies Seyi Tinubu link

Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway contract to Hitech Construction Company, insisting that the process was legal and that Seyi Tinubu is not a member of the company’s board.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Umahi rejected allegations of impropriety in the award of the flagship project.

“Hitech was awarded the project legally,” he said.

He also dismissed claims linking the contractor to President Bola Tinubu’s son.

“Seyi Tinubu is not on the board of Hitech,” Umahi said, challenging critics to provide evidence.

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The minister said scrutiny of the contractor should focus on the procurement process and its capacity to execute the project, rather than unsupported claims about family ties.

He noted that the award of the highway contract to Hitech had been one of the most contentious aspects of the project, with opposition figures questioning the process.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been among the most vocal critics, alleging a potential conflict of interest over business ties involving the President’s family.

Umahi maintained that the Presidency and the Works Ministry had repeatedly rejected such allegations.

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He said the government followed a legally permissible procurement process and that Hitech’s technical capabilities were central to its selection.

The minister also defended the choice of Hitech, citing the quality of work delivered so far and scrutiny by international financiers.

He said the financiers inspected the project and subjected its technical and financial structure to due diligence before committing funds.

Umahi argued that the external scrutiny undermined suggestions that the contract was awarded without regard for cost or standards.

He said the government chose concrete pavement for the highway because of its durability and that Hitech had significant experience in the area.

In the same interview, Umahi accused Landmark Africa of “land grabbing” on the Lagos beachfront amid the dispute over land affected by the highway project.

“He was land grabbing,” Umahi said, referring to Landmark’s occupation of portions of the beachfront.

He challenged Landmark’s chief executive, Paul Onwuanibe, to publish documents establishing legal title to the affected land.

“Let him publish his C of O,” the minister said.

Umahi maintained that the Federal Government deliberately adjusted the highway’s alignment to preserve Landmark’s permanent structures.

“We saved his permanent structure,” he said, adding that the structures removed were largely shanties erected along the beachfront.

He also questioned claims about the scale of Landmark’s losses, citing what he described as inconsistencies in the figures associated with the company.

He said Onwuanibe had previously put the company’s investment at about $250 million but later cited losses of about N42 billion following the demolition.

Umahi said small businesses and other occupants eligible for compensation had been identified and paid directly into their bank accounts.

He warned that Landmark’s continued public claims could lead to legal action.

“If he doesn’t refrain from misleading the public, I may take him to court,” he said.

The dispute became a major controversy in April 2024 after the government demolished parts of the Landmark Beach complex to clear the highway’s right of way.

Onwuanibe has maintained that the demolition caused significant losses, while the government insists the affected structures were within the highway’s legally designated corridor.

Umahi also clarified that the East-West Road would connect to the Coastal Highway through a spur, rather than a diversion.

He made the clarification after being confronted with two statements he made on October 12 and 13 concerning President Tinubu’s directive.

Explaining his earlier use of the word “divert”, he said it was a slip of the tongue.

“The word divert, you know, if I use that, then it’s a slip of the tongue. It’s to also put a spur. That’s the correct language,” he said.

He said the East-West Road connection would not alter the original alignment of the 750-kilometre coastal highway.

He listed the nine states along the original route as Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.

“The alignment is intact. But anybody saying that we should remove Edo State, we are not removing Edo State,” Umahi said.

He dismissed suggestions that Edo should be bypassed, saying the state’s inclusion was part of the concept gazetted in 2006.

The minister said the reconstruction of the East-West Road was a separate project that required concrete pavement because some sections had fallen below flood level.

He noted that the road had previously received funding through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) under Executive Order 007, which has since been suspended, prompting a redesign.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which began at the Lagos end in March 2024, is expected to connect Lagos to Cross River State.