The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has criticised the Federal Government over the realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing the decision as evidence of poor planning, technical incompetence and a lack of transparency.
The campaign organisation made its position known at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, where its Director-General, Felix Hyat, said the route adjustment had exposed serious flaws in the conception and execution of the N15 trillion infrastructure project.
The controversy followed an announcement by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, that the highway would be rerouted through the existing East-West Road from Ondo State into Edo State.
Umahi explained that the decision was informed by recurring flooding challenges along the East-West Road, particularly around the Ughelli axis in Delta State. He said the adjustment was intended to avoid constructing a new alignment along the affected corridor.
However, Hyat described the development as an admission of planning and engineering failures, arguing that the challenges should have been identified before the project commenced.
According to him, the realignment reflected “technical incompetence, failure of proper planning and gross underestimation of the project’s engineering challenges”.
The campaign director-general also questioned the Federal Government’s explanation that climate change and environmental concerns necessitated the route change. He said the development had raised questions about whether the necessary environmental impact assessment was conducted before construction began.
“It only confirms that the Tinubu administration embarked on this huge project without the required statutory environmental impact assessment in gross violation of our extant laws,” Hyat said.
The former Minister of State for Aviation also faulted the circumstances surrounding the award of the contract in 2024, alleging that it was granted without an approved engineering design, a transparent and competitive bidding process, or adequate budgetary provision and statutory appropriation by the National Assembly.
Hyat further raised concerns over an alleged conflict of interest involving the corporate group linked to the company executing the project, calling for greater scrutiny of the contract award process and the selection of the contractor.
He also challenged the Federal Government to explain how the realignment would affect the overall cost of the project, particularly given the decision to utilise an existing road corridor rather than construct an entirely new route.
According to him, the absence of a clear explanation on the expected cost implications raises concerns about financial accountability and the management of public funds.
To address these concerns, the MDPCO called for the immediate publication of relevant procurement documents and payment records relating to the highway project.
The organisation also demanded an independent engineering assessment of the Ondo realignment and a comprehensive audit of the project’s total cost, expenditure incurred so far and the financial and technical plans for its completion.
The campaign organisation maintained that greater transparency was necessary to ensure accountability in the execution of the multitrillion-naira infrastructure project.
