Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Tinubu administration of inflating the cost of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, calling for an independent value-for-money audit of the multibillion-naira project.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said payments on the project should be suspended until Nigerians are assured it genuinely serves the national interest.
He recalled raising concerns when the Tinubu administration first unveiled the project, alleging that its cost had been exaggerated to an “outrageous” ₦8 billion per kilometre.
“At that time, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, dismissed my claim, insisting the cost was ₦4 billion per kilometre,” Atiku said. “However, the same minister has now made a volte-face, admitting that the actual cost is closer to ₦8 billion — precisely what I warned Nigerians about.”
According to Atiku, Umahi’s admission vindicates his earlier position and exposes the Tinubu government’s lack of transparency in handling what he described as one of Nigeria’s most expensive infrastructure projects.
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