Minister of Works, David Umahi, has replied to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his comments questioning the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Umahi said the governor misunderstood how project costs are calculated.
He spoke on Saturday during an inspection of the Keffi Bridge and Nasarawa–Toto Road projects with Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State. Umahi explained that the cost of the Lagos-Calabar highway was properly calculated using global engineering standards and should not be turned into a political argument.
Makinde, in a viral video on Friday, had accused Umahi of “dancing around” figures, saying there should be more clarity on how the project funds were being spent.
Responding, Umahi described Makinde as “a brother and friend” but said it was wrong for him to make such public claims. “I heard my brother, Governor Makinde, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him. He is an engineer, but this road construction matter is not his field. I’m his senior both in governance and engineering. If he doesn’t understand, he should call me,” Umahi said.
He explained that the cost per kilometre of a road has two parts: estimated cost and average cost. The estimated cost includes allowances for changes in price and other unforeseen issues, while the average cost is the final figure after adjustments.
“There is no confusion about cost per kilometre,” Umahi said. “When a project ends, and unused funds are removed, what is left is the actual cost.”
Umahi said some critics even used Artificial Intelligence to check the meaning of cost difference, and it confirmed his explanation. “I’m happy that AI told them exactly what I said,” he added.
He also said that experience in engineering practice qualifies him as a professional authority. “The NUC says practice can make one a professor. I believe God has made me one in practical engineering,” Umahi stated.
