Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi over his refusal to immediately disclose the cost of the Lagos-Calabar highway project.
Recall that Umahi had stated that he would disclose the cost on Friday.
Reacting, Atiku wondered why it would take Umahi days to disclose the cost of the project.
On Monday, Atiku had faulted the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for awarding the 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech Construction Company Limited “without any evidence of competitive bidding or a decision by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)”.
Atiku claimed that the award was cloaked in mystery because Umahi declined to reveal the contractual amount involved.
He also asked why the Tinubu administration released N1.06 trillion for the pilot phase of the project, which begins at Eko Atlantic and is expected to terminate at the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a distance of 47.47km.
Reacting, Umahi, in a statement issued through his Special Adviser on Media, Orji Uchenna, promised that the total cost and breakdown of the project would be made available to the public on Friday in Lagos.
Umahi criticized the former Vice President, noting that he “doesn’t understand figures”.
However, speaking through Phrank Shaibu, his Special Assistant on Media, Atiku questioned why Umahi should wait for that long to disclose the cost of the project.
Posting on X, Shaibu wrote: “Why on earth does David Umahi need these number of days to cough up the price tag for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project?
“Oh, right, just to make sure those figures are nicely seasoned with ‘shaki’, ‘ponmo’ and other ‘orishirishi’ before serving them up.
“I mean, seriously, a minute should suffice to fish out the cost from that so-called ‘PPP’ pact with Hitech. But hey, who’s counting, right? Certainly not Umahi! …@aonanuga1956 , I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.”