The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has “fired back at Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde,” following the governor’s public comments questioning the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Umahi insisted that the governor “misunderstood the technical details of road construction and cost evaluation.”
Speaking on Saturday during an inspection of the Keffi Bridge and the Nasarawa–Toto Road projects, alongside Governor Abdullahi Sule, Umahi asserted that the cost of the highway, a signature project of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, had been “carefully computed in line with global engineering standards” and should not be reduced to “political soundbites.”
Governor Makinde, in a viral video on Friday, had questioned the minister’s estimated figures, stating that there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.
Read Also: Makinde Reacts As Umahi Dodges ‘Cost Per Kilometre’ Question Concerning Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project
Makinde’s exact words were: “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘How has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.”
Responding to the criticism, the former Ebonyi governor described Makinde as “a brother and friend” but called his public accusation improper.
Umahi said:“I heard that my brother and friend, Governor Makinde, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him,”
“I think he is an engineer, while I am an electrical engineer, they call us ‘elect-elect’. But this road construction matter, ‘elect-elect no reach there’.”
He continued, “I am his senior both in governance and in engineering practice. So, anything he doesn’t understand, he should call me and ask. I have great respect for him as my friend and brother, but he should withdraw the statement that I’m dancing around. I never danced around. If he insists, he should come for a debate, which is very important.”
Defending the project further, Umahi explained that there was “no ambiguity in determining the cost per kilometre,” stressing that it must be understood in both estimated and average terms.
He said: “There is no ambiguity in cost per kilometre,” and added: “I am teaching them that cost per kilometre can be divided into estimated cost, which has elements of variance, and average cost, which is definitive. The average cost of a definitive project and the estimated cost are probable elements.”
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Umahi explained that the estimated cost includes allowances for contingencies and variation of price (VOP), which may not be fully utilized.
He added that “When the project is completed, and you remove what you didn’t use, such as contingencies and VOP, then you have your actual cost.”
The Minister also expressed amusement that critics, upon asking Artificial Intelligence for an explanation, received a response that aligned with his own.
He “quipped”: “When somebody who is dangling without knowledge goes to ask AI what the difference is between cost per kilometre and average cost, I’m happy that AI told him exactly what I said.”
Finally, Umahi cited the National Universities Commission’s clarification on expertise, noting that “practical experience in the field also counts as expertise.”
He stated:“I’m happy that the NUC programme on who is a professor also made me right. You can become a professor by the reason of your practice. And I think God has made me one when it comes to practical, field engineering programmes, that’s what it is; you can’t take it back.”
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