Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Tinubu Didn't Direct Award to Hitech, Says Works Minister Umahi

Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has publicly dismissed allegations that President Bola Tinubu exerted political influence to direct the award of the landmark Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project to Hitech Construction Company. Speaking during a detailed briefing in Abuja, the minister stated emphatically that the decision to engage the engineering firm rested squarely on his professional assessment and executive judgment, rather than any presidential directive.

The multi-trillion naira project, designed to span over 700 kilometers along Nigeria's southern coastline, has generated intense political debate and civic scrutiny regarding its procurement procedure. Critics and opposition figures have repeatedly questioned the direct-allocation method that handed the signature infrastructure project to Hitech, a firm with well-documented history in major urban reclamation projects. However, Umahi maintained that the company's technical track record—particularly its work on the Eko Atlantic sea defense project—justified the choice.

According to reports from the Ministry of Works, the decision to proceed with concrete pavement technology on volatile coastal terrain required specialized heavy machinery already present in the country. Umahi argued that subjecting the mega-project to prolonged traditional bidding cycles would have exposed the nation to severe inflation risks and escalated project costs exponentially given current macroeconomic volatility.

"President Tinubu never instructed me to give this contract to Hitech or any specific entity," Umahi declared, stressing that the administration remains committed to project execution without compromising efficiency. He emphasized that as the minister overseeing the sector, he assumes full legal and administrative responsibility for the procurement choices made under his leadership.