Reps passes resolution to investigate ₦15trn Lagos-Calabar coastal road contract

The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to delve into the intricacies of the procurement process surrounding the award of the ₦15 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal road contract.

The motion, spearheaded by Honourable Austin Achado on Thursday, was underscored as a matter of urgent national importance.

Citing breaches of the 2007 Procurement Act and the absence of requisite approvals from the National Assembly, the House highlighted glaring irregularities in the contract award process.

Consequently, the House has demanded that the Minister of Works, the Minister of Finance, the Attorney General, and the Minister of Justice furnish the National Assembly with copies of pertinent documents related to the contract.

This development unfolds against the backdrop of recent demolitions of buildings and structures along the designated route of the project.

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, shed light on the financial scope of the undertaking, revealing that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road would amount to approximately ₦4 billion per kilometer.

Spanning a distance of 700 kilometers, the Lagos-Calabar coastal road is poised to establish a crucial link between Lagos and Cross River, traversing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before reaching its terminus in Cross River.

Despite its ambitious scope, the project has not escaped scrutiny. Notable figures including Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, have criticised the endeavour, branding it a misallocation of resources by the Federal Government.

Similarly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar labeled the project as fraudulent, although his assertions were promptly rebuffed by the Presidency.