.Says Obi ‘can never be the best’ presidential materials from area
.Lagos-Calabar coastal freeway cheaper than comparable Nigerian, worldwide highway tasks
.Accuses Landmark of ‘land-grabbing’ on Lagos seashore, vow to take them to courtroom
.Hitech acquired coastal freeway contract via authorized direct procurement; Seyi Tinubu not on board
Demola Ojo
Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has mentioned the South-east’s overwhelming assist for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election was pushed by anger over years of marginalisation, however predicted the area would reply in a different way in 2027 due to President Bola Tinubu’s remedy of the area.
Umahi, who was emphatic that Obi didn’t seek the advice of South-east leaders earlier than his presidential bid, argued the area has different certified political figures.
The former governor of Ebonyi State additionally defended the price of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, arguing that the challenge is cheaper than comparable highway tasks in Nigeria and internationally when its specs and troublesome terrain are taken under consideration.
The minister who accused Landmark Africa of “land grabbing” on the Lagos beachfront, threatened authorized motion in opposition to its chief govt, Paul Onwuanibe, over claims surrounding the impression of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway on the enterprise.
Umahi, who defended the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to Hitech Construction, additionally rejected claims that President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, sits on Hitech’s board, amid longstanding questions concerning the relationship between the President’s household and corporations related to the Chagoury Group.
Speaking in an interview on Arise News Channel, Umahi described the South-east’s 2023 voting sample as an “accident of history,” arguing that voters had been expressing dissatisfaction with the area’s remedy underneath the earlier administration.
“In 2023, it was an accident of history,” Umahi mentioned. “It was a demonstration of the anger of the people of South-east on how they were treated.”
The Works Minister mentioned the area had professional causes to really feel aggrieved on the time, citing what he described as insufficient federal appointments and infrastructure.
“We’ve been marginalised in the past, but it’s no longer so,” he mentioned.
Umahi argued that Tinubu had modified the political equation via elevated federal infrastructure and appointments for the South-east, predicting that voters would acknowledge that remedy after they return to the polls in 2027.
“If in 2023 they demonstrated their anger, in 2027 they are going to demonstrate their joy on how the President has treated them,” he mentioned.
Umahi maintained that the South-east would “pay the President” for what he described as Tinubu’s dedication to the area, significantly via main infrastructure tasks.
He pointed to ongoing federal highway tasks and different investments as proof that the area had obtained better consideration underneath the present administration.
The minister additionally argued that the political setting had modified considerably since 2023, saying serving governors, former governors, conventional rulers and different influential figures throughout the Southeast had been more and more aligned with Tinubu.
He mentioned voters can be reluctant to desert what he described as tangible infrastructure beneficial properties in favour of one other political “gamble.”
Umahi rejected ideas that assist for Tinubu amounted to a betrayal of the South-east or Peter Obi, arguing that the area’s political pursuits shouldn’t be tied completely to 1 candidate.
He additionally criticised social media supporters who insult South-east political leaders for backing Tinubu somewhat than Obi, saying such assaults had been counterproductive.
According to Umahi, ethnic and regional antagonism wouldn’t advance Obi’s political pursuits or these of the Southeast.
The minister mentioned the area’s long-term political pursuits required engagement and negotiation with different components of Nigeria, significantly if the South-east hoped finally to provide a president.
He maintained that Tinubu’s file in the area would finally decide the 2027 vote somewhat than the voting sample recorded 4 years earlier.
Asked whether or not he believed Tinubu would defeat Obi in the South-east in 2027, Umahi was emphatic.
“Why do you say I believe?” he responded. “That is what is going to happen!”
Umahi mentioned the South-east wouldn’t repeat its 2023 electoral alternative as a result of, in his evaluation, the circumstances that produced that end result had essentially modified.
He mentioned Obi “can never be the best” presidential materials from the South-east, arguing that the previous Anambra State governor didn’t adequately seek the advice of political leaders in the area earlier than his 2023 presidential bid.
Umahi mentioned his place was not pushed by private animosity in the direction of Obi, however by his evaluation of the political management obtainable in the Southeast.
“Peter Obi is not the best of our finest in South-east,” Umahi mentioned. “He’s not the best, he can never be the best.”
He argued {that a} presidential candidate looking for to symbolize the political aspirations of the South-east ought to first construct consensus amongst governors and different political leaders in the area.
“You cannot play politics in South-east without consulting people like us,” he mentioned.
Umahi mentioned that if he had been looking for the presidency himself, he would strategy the method in a different way by consulting extensively with political stakeholders earlier than presenting himself as a candidate.
“If I were contesting, I would have consulted,” Umahi mentioned, sustaining {that a} presidential ambition carrying the expectations of a whole area couldn’t be pursued in isolation.
He argued that Obi ought to have consulted South-east governors and different leaders earlier than rising because the area’s dominant presidential candidate in the 2023 election.
Umahi additionally challenged the suggestion that Obi ought to mechanically be considered the South-east’s strongest candidate for the presidency due to his efficiency in the final election.
He mentioned the area had different certified political figures and argued that presidential politics required negotiation and engagement with different components of the nation somewhat than relying principally on regional enthusiasm.
Umahi mentioned he had “nothing personal” in opposition to Obi, stressing that totally different political circumstances required totally different qualities in a pacesetter.
The Works Minister additionally questioned arguments that the presidency ought to mechanically return to Anambra State if the chance arose for the South-east to provide a president.
He famous that Nigeria’s first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe, got here from the realm now constituting Anambra State and argued that different states in the South-east must also be thought of.
Umahi recognized Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Imo as states that ought to have a possibility in any future dialogue about producing a president from the area.
His feedback got here as he defended the rising assist for President Tinubu amongst political leaders in the South-east forward of the 2027 presidential election.
Umahi argued that the South-east’s path to the presidency finally trusted political negotiation and integration with the remainder of the nation somewhat than treating assist for a specific candidate as a check of loyalty to the area.
He additionally rejected criticism of South-east political figures supporting Tinubu somewhat than Obi, saying it was flawed to painting them as betraying the area due to their political decisions.
The minister maintained that the South-east should negotiate and construct alliances throughout Nigeria if it needs to provide a president, insisting that no single politician must be handled because the area’s solely viable presidential possibility.
He rejected criticism of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s value, saying comparisons must be primarily based on equal carriageways and engineering specs somewhat than merely dividing the contract sum by the size of the highway.
“I deserve kudos for the cost of the coastal highway,” Umahi mentioned as he in contrast the challenge with different main highway developments.
Using Section One of the freeway for example, the minister mentioned the 47.47-kilometre stretch from Victoria Island to Eleko Village had a contract worth of about N1.06 trillion, however argued that the determine needed to be assessed in opposition to the variety of carriageways and the intensive infrastructure included in the challenge.
He mentioned that when the fee was normalised to an ordinary two-lane carriageway, it amounted to roughly N7.3 billion to N7.5 billion per kilometre, or about $5.5 million on the change price he used in his calculation.
Umahi argued that the determine in contrast favourably with different main highway tasks, together with the Bodo-Bonny Road, the East-West Road and coastal highway tasks elsewhere in West Africa.
“You have to compare apple to apple,” he mentioned, insisting that comparisons which ignored variations in highway width, pavement kind, bridges, drainage and terrain created a deceptive impression of the challenge’s value.
The minister mentioned the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was being constructed with strengthened concrete pavement and would come with photo voltaic lighting, underground drainage, two-metre walkways, crash obstacles and a hall reserved for a railway line.
He additionally pointed to the intensive floor enchancment required alongside the Lagos part, saying that roughly 30 kilometres concerned the elimination of unsuitable materials to a median depth of about 10 metres, whereas the highway degree needed to be raised by a median of about 5 metres.
“You remove the pit, average of 10 metres, and then you fill it back,” Umahi mentioned, describing the engineering work required earlier than the pavement itself might be constructed.
He mentioned these options wanted to be factored into any significant comparability of the challenge’s value with typical highways constructed on much less difficult terrain.
Umahi additionally cited the altering value of development supplies, saying the value of concrete had elevated considerably because the contract was awarded with no corresponding improve in the contract worth.
“When we started, concrete was N350,000 per cubic metre. Today, it is N460,000 per cubic metre,” he mentioned. “The contract price has not changed.”
The Works Minister in contrast the Coastal Highway with the Bodo-Bonny Road in Rivers State, in addition to parts of the East-West Road, arguing that their prices demonstrated that the Lagos-Calabar challenge was not unusually costly when assessed on equal engineering phrases.
His defence follows sustained public scrutiny of the challenge’s value. Umahi has beforehand argued that the value accredited for the Coastal Highway was decrease than comparable tasks and has repeatedly disputed calculations primarily based on a easy cost-per-kilometre method.
In October 2025, he publicly challenged Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to a debate after the governor questioned his clarification of the challenge’s value.
Umahi mentioned worldwide financiers had additionally scrutinised the challenge’s pricing earlier than committing funding to it.
He mentioned Deutsche Bank, which led the financing for Section One, examined the challenge earlier than the financing was syndicated and reached a beneficial evaluation of its pricing and development high quality.
“They said the project was underpriced,” Umahi mentioned, including that the financing was subsequently “oversubscribed by $100 million.”
Umahi has beforehand made the oversubscription declare publicly, saying worldwide monetary establishments regarded the challenge’s value as aggressive.
He maintained that the price of one part couldn’t merely be extrapolated throughout the complete 750-kilometre freeway as a result of terrain and engineering necessities range considerably alongside the route.
“There are no two sections that are the same,” Umahi mentioned, arguing that bridges, soil circumstances and different engineering necessities would finally decide the price of particular person sections.
The minister insisted that when these components had been thought of alongside the freeway’s specs, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway represented worth for cash somewhat than the excessively priced challenge portrayed by its critics.
Umahi additionally strongly disputed Onwuanibe’s account of the losses Landmark suffered following the federal authorities’s demolition of buildings alongside the freeway’s proper of approach.
“He was land grabbing,” Umahi mentioned, referring to Landmark’s occupation of parts of the beachfront affected by the challenge.
The Works Minister challenged Onwuanibe to make public the corporate’s Certificate of Occupancy and different paperwork establishing its authorized title to the affected land.
“Let him publish his C of O,” Umahi mentioned.
He maintained that the federal authorities had intentionally adjusted the freeway round Landmark’s everlasting buildings to forestall the destruction of its essential amenities.
“We saved his permanent structure,” Umahi mentioned, arguing that what was eliminated consisted largely of “shanties” erected alongside the beachfront somewhat than Landmark’s principal everlasting improvement.
Umahi additionally rejected claims concerning the scale of Landmark’s monetary losses, pointing to what he described as inconsistencies in figures publicly related to the corporate.
He mentioned Onwuanibe had beforehand spoken of investments value about $250 million however had extra just lately cited losses of about N42 billion arising from the demolition.
The minister questioned the idea of these figures and mentioned the federal government shouldn’t be portrayed as having arbitrarily destroyed a professional funding with out regard for possession or compensation rights.
Umahi mentioned smaller companies and different affected occupants who had been entitled to compensation had been recognized and compensated by the federal government.
He mentioned the affected individuals had been enumerated and funds made instantly into their financial institution accounts, sustaining that the compensation course of was clear.
The minister then warned that the persevering with public claims surrounding Landmark might end result in authorized motion.
“If he doesn’t refrain from misleading the public, I may take him to court,” Umahi mentioned.
The dispute over Landmark turned one of many earliest main controversies surrounding development of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after the federal authorities demolished components of the Landmark Beach complicated in April 2024 to clear the challenge’s proper of approach.
Onwuanibe had publicly maintained that the demolition induced vital losses to the Landmark ecosystem and companies working inside it, whereas the federal authorities constantly argued that the affected buildings had been throughout the freeway’s legally established hall.
Umahi maintained that the federal government had gone out of its strategy to protect Landmark’s principal funding, saying the freeway was successfully divided across the everlasting construction somewhat than demolishing it.
He insisted that the disagreement ought to finally be resolved on the idea of documentary proof establishing possession of the beachfront land.
Umahi confirmed that there was no public commercial or open aggressive bidding for the freeway, however insisted the procurement technique was lawful.
When challenged if there was commercial or public bidding, Umahi retorted, “But there was direct procurement. It’s within the law.”
Asked particularly whether or not Seyi Tinubu was on Hitech’s board, Umahi responded: “He’s not.”
The minister mentioned the federal government had examined Hitech’s board as a part of the pre-qualification course of.
“I’ve heard people that say, ‘Oh, Seyi Tinubu is on the board of Hitech’. We have the board of Hitech, because before we did pre-qualification,” he mentioned.
Umahi defined that federal procurement guidelines present totally different routes for awarding contracts, together with open tendering, restrictive tendering and direct procurement, with emergency procurement obtainable underneath explicit circumstances.
“There are three kinds of procurement that are allowed,” he mentioned. “There is a fourth one, which is emergency procurement.”
Explaining the excellence, Umahi mentioned open procurement entails public commercial, whereas restrictive tendering permits authorities to ask firms thought of to have the required experience to pre-qualify and bid.
“And so the third one is direct procurement,” he mentioned. “Direct procurement is where there are no competitive bids. But it’s a specialised kind of procurement.”
Umahi mentioned the choice to make use of that technique for Hitech was pushed by the engineering challenges anticipated alongside the shoreline, significantly the risk posed by Atlantic Ocean surges.
“Our job was to construct road along the coast — coastal highway — and we knew that we were going to be confronted with the ocean surge,” he mentioned.
The minister cited the historic risk of coastal erosion to Victoria Island and the eventual improvement of Eko Atlantic as proof of Hitech’s means to undertake specialised coastal engineering.
Umahi recalled that repeated interventions by expatriate contractors had didn’t completely resolve the risk to Victoria Island earlier than Hitech turned concerned.
“All over the years, the federal government would engage expatriates from Belgium, from France and all over the country,” he mentioned. “Each time the flood came, there would be that kind of intervention. But it could not solve the problem of the VI.”
He mentioned Hitech initially resisted enterprise the coastal safety work due to the monetary and technical dangers concerned.
“The President called Hitech and said, ‘Please, can you invest to do this, to tame the Atlantic Ocean?’ They said, ‘No. You’re going to liquidate us. We won’t be able to do it.’”
Umahi mentioned the corporate finally developed an answer involving huge concrete buildings and geotextile supplies to carry again the Atlantic.
“They were almost liquidated until they came up with that method,” he mentioned, referring to the coastal safety system. “And today we have a beauty to behold, the Eko Atlantic.”
According to Umahi, that monitor file turned central to the federal government’s justification for proposing Hitech for the Coastal Highway.
“So when we knew that we were going to be confronted with this, we were going to look for that kind of technical expertise,” he mentioned. “And that’s why we sent the name of Hitech.”
He mentioned the federal government offered Hitech’s Eko Atlantic work as proof of its efficiency, technical capability and functionality to the Bureau of Public Procurement.
“They put the Eko Atlantic as the attraction and the evidence of performance and capacity and capability to the BPP,” Umahi mentioned.
The BPP, he mentioned, thought of the proposal earlier than permitting the federal government to proceed with direct procurement on a section-by-section foundation.
“BPP looked at it and said, ‘Yes, but procure this thing in sections,’” he mentioned.
Umahi mentioned the federal government subsequently obtained a Certificate of No Objection earlier than taking the procurement to the Federal Executive Council for approval.
“Federal Executive Council approved: go ahead, direct procurement, but procure it in sections,” he mentioned.
Pressed on whether or not this amounted to affirmation that there had been no public bidding for the challenge, Umahi initially objected to the framing, insisting that the central query must be whether or not the procurement complied with Nigerian legislation.
“You should ask me whether we conformed to the law of the federal government,” he mentioned.
When the interviewer ARISE News Anchor Ojy Okpe reiterated that there had been no commercial or public bidding, Umahi finally confirmed the procurement technique. He mentioned, “It’s within the law.”
