Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, defended the N4bn per kilometre cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project during an interview on Arise TV last Thursday.
The project’s cost has been a topic of discussion recently.
Umahi explained that critics who question the project’s cost lack understanding of the figures involved. He compared the project to a previously renegotiated project mentioned by the former vice president, which was priced at $11.1bn for 700 km. The design for this project was provided by the NDDC.
The NDDC’s design included two carriageways on each side of the road, each with four lanes. However, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project will not strictly follow this design. Instead, it will feature a total of 10 lanes and additional shoulders, which will span about 23 metres. The total concrete pavement for the project will be approximately 59 metres.
Umahi argued that the former vice president’s calculation would result in a cost of over N19bn per kilometre. When divided by the 23 kilometres of the project, this equates to about 2.225 times a standard superhighway carriageway, or N11.55bn.
In contrast, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, when divided, results in a cost of N5.167bn. Using a factor of 1.067, this equates to about N4bn per kilometre. Umahi concluded that despite using concrete, which is typically more expensive due to the terrain, the cost of their project is N4bn per kilometre, significantly less than the N8bn claimed by the former vice president.
