Speaking to journalists, Umahi broke down the first 47.47-kilometer section of the 700km project, which is projected to cost N1.067 trillion.
The stretch will feature six lanes, flyovers, underpasses, extensive shore protection, solar lighting, and landscaping.
“A standard coastal road is going for N7.5 billion per kilometer of standard highway,” Umahi said.
“However, this N7.5 billion includes all the fillings, shore protections, solar lighting throughout, and planting of trees.”
Explaining how the cost was calculated, he said,
“The first section, 47.47 kilometers, is costing N1.067 trillion and is six lanes. When you divide this N1.067 trillion by 47.47 and by two, you will get 11.57 — a kilometer of three lanes.
A standard federal highway is two lanes. So by the time you now divide by three and multiply by two, you will see that a standard coastal road is going for N7.5 billion per kilometer.”
Umahi noted the figure also covers shoreline defenses, solar-powered street lighting, concrete retaining walls, and landscaping. He revealed the ministry faced challenging terrain, encountering deep pits up to 20 meters, which had to be excavated and refilled in stages before construction could continue.
“You encounter a pit of up to 20 meters and then this pit we removed and then refilled with lumps in levels and stages and then we are passing through there now. At kilometer 32, we also encountered such,” he said.
Comparing the project with past road works, the minister argued that reinforced concrete makes the highway longer-lasting and more cost-effective.
“As at five years ago, the cost of one meter cubed of concrete awarded by the past administration was N729,000 per meter cubed. We started the coastal highway with N350,000 per meter cubed. So leave out the president or any other person, hold me accountable, ask me questions, come for debate, and I will give you the cost of one meter cubed of concrete,” Umahi stated.
He added that the project had been reviewed and approved by Dutch and other international financial institutions, which described it as “undervalued.” “The Dutch bank that led the other international banks to review the cost of the project said it was undervalued. And when it was time to fund the 70% loan component, the project was oversubscribed by 100 million US dollars,” he said.
The Works Minister, a former governor of Ebonyi State, challenged critics to be objective and transparent.
“If the financial institutions can give us this credit, we are ready to face anybody. But when you are criticizing us, be very objective and tell the public the truth,” he said.
Umahi’s remarks come after public criticism over his earlier heated exchange with Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni, who asked him to break down the project’s cost per kilometer.
The development drew widespread backlash, with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde later siding with the journalist, saying the question was valid and that officials owe Nigerians transparency.
The 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, spanning nine states, remains one of the most ambitious and debated infrastructure projects under President Bola Tinubu’s administration
