The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to disregard the remarks made by former President Olusegun Obasanjo regarding the ₦15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway initiative.
In his publication titled “Nigeria: Past and the Future,” Naija News reports that Obasanjo characterized the 700km project as a misallocation of priorities.
In response to Obasanjo’s critique, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, addressed the issue during a press conference with journalists in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, on Thursday.
The minister encouraged Nigerians to overlook Obasanjo’s statements concerning the Super Highway project, asserting that those who oppose the initiative should refrain from utilizing the road once it is completed.
Umahi emphasized that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of President Tinubu’s four key legacy projects, and he challenged critics who deem it a waste of resources to avoid using the road after its completion.
“If someone calls this project fraudulent, they are also calling me a fraud, and I am definitely not. This project has been very transparent, and we continue to engage stakeholders. Every step of the process is in the public domain,” he said.
Umahi added, “The man (Obasanjo) by his age deserves our respect, but it’s my duty as the minister of works that the project is not wasteful and the project is not corrupt. I read on social media where they said Why is it me that’s explaining, and why is the contract not explaining?
“What should the contractor say? It is my duty to explain, and I’m eminently qualified by reason of my years in public service and training as a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers to explain the project.
“I think anybody still criticising the project is waking up to say how can one man be attributed to this kind of legacies especially if you have the opportunity to do something to contribute to this kind of investment and you didn’t do that.
“The truth remains the section one of the Lagos-Calabar, which is 47.7 kilometres. That job is already done about 70 percent within one year, and I will be asking those criticising it not to follow the road. They should not follow the road.”
The post ‘Do Not Use The Road’ – Umahi Replies Obasanjo, Critics Over Comments On Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway appeared first on Naija News.