YPP candidate urges National Assembly to summon Umahi over highway cost

Arch. Peter Agada, the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), has urged the National Assembly to summon the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to discuss the ₦15.6 trillion cost of the 770-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. In an interview in Abuja, Agada expressed concern over the exorbitant price tag and demanded a detailed breakdown of the expenses.

He criticized the government for not providing Nigerians with a clear understanding of how the cost was determined. "Nigerians deserve value for money, not a project whose cost defies global reality," Agada stated. Comparing the highway's cost with other major road projects in Africa, Agada pointed out that Nigeria is spending approximately $11.2 billion on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, while the Cairo-Cape Town Trans-African Highway is estimated to cost around $3 billion.

He also highlighted the Cape Town-Dakar corridor, which is estimated to cost between $4 billion and $5 billion despite covering a longer distance of 11,000 to 11,500 kilometres. Agada challenged the Federal Ministry of Works to publish the project's cost per kilometre, the Environmental Impact Assessment report, and the rationale behind choosing the coastal route over the inland alignment, as well as its placement in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Trans-African Highway Master Plan.

He emphasized the environmental concerns associated with the coastal route and the need for public disclosure of these issues.