The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to disregard detractors and allocate additional funding for the current infrastructural projects nationwide, particularly in light of the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Umahi expressed this request on Thursday during the formal inauguration of the Lekki Deep Sea Port Access Road in Lagos.
He pointed out that international investors have supported the initiative, even labelling it as undervalued.
Naijaonpoint reports that Umahi made these remarks in response to criticism regarding the expenses and transparency associated with the “ambitious” 700km Lagos-Calabar highway project.
“I want to assure you, sir, that the international financiers have given you kudos because they say the project is even undervalued. I commend you very highly, and I am grateful for the support.
“Sir, don’t listen to people. Give us more money; we will deliver all these projects, sir. We will deliver,” Umahi stated.
Addressing President Tinubu directly, Umahi defended the project’s valuation and highlighted the technical complexities involved in its construction.
He said: “This highway… tell me the cost of a kilometre. What can you quantify as the cost of a kilometre when you have a section of 10km that has a bit of 10 to 20 metres and you compare it to another section with good soil?
“When people gather counsel without knowledge… Your Excellency, I am a Fellow of the Society of Engineers, and I understand the figures; I understand this work.”
The minister also expressed confidence in the timely delivery of the highway’s initial phase.
“I want to thank you for commissioning the first 30km, and I reassure you that this first section will be completed by December. We shall toll it, and Section 2 will also be close to completion. I commend the contractor very highly,” Umahi said.
They Don’t Know What They Are Talking About – Tinubu Replies Umahi
In response to the minister’s comments, President Tinubu, during his address at the commissioning of the deep-sea port access road, rejected the criticisms directed at the highway project and reiterated his administration’s dedication to the advancement of infrastructure development.
“I appeal to you, David (Umahi): don’t listen to those critics; they don’t know what they’re talking about. If they don’t like the road or it’s too expensive, toll it for them,” President Tinubu stated.
“If they don’t like the road, they can use Idumota. We will not stop building the needed infrastructure for economic development.”
In his speech, Umahi also highlighted the completion of the 27km by two-lane reinforced concrete Deep Sea Port Access Road.
“Today, I present to you the completed 27km by two-lane reinforced concrete access road – the Deep Sea Port Access Road. This road is very important. It will serve the deep-sea port so that all the challenges we faced with Apapa Port will be a thing of the past, using this place,” he said.
The commissioning ceremony also included presentations by the minister regarding various completed and ongoing road projects throughout the nation.
The inauguration of the deep-sea port was attended by prominent guests, such as Aliko Dangote, the deputy governor of Lagos, Obafemi Hamzat, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, among others.
In a significant gesture during the commissioning, Africa’s wealthiest individual, Dangote, named the primary road leading to the Dangote Refinery in Lagos in honor of President Tinubu, acknowledging his contributions to infrastructural advancement.
During the ceremony, Dangote revealed that the Deep Sea Port Access Road is “one of eight major projects totaling 500km, which includes two in Borno State that will connect Nigeria to both Chad and Cameroon.”
The newly designated road extends from Epe to Ijebu-Ode and links to the Sagamu–Benin Expressway, establishing a vital connection for logistics and trade within the region.