Court Cases Slowing Pace Of Work On Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway – Minister
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has stated that the plethora of court cases and petitions were slowing down the flow of work on the Lagos -Calabar Coastal Highway.
Director, Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Mohammed Ahmed disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
Ahmed said the Minister stated this when he, the Permanent Secretary, Adam Kofarmata and other officials of the Ministry led members of the Senate and House Committees on Works to inspect and verify ongoing construction works on Sections I and II of the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway on Friday.
The Coastal Highway is one of four (4) legacy highway projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration of President Bola Tinubu. It is an inter-state highway and economic corridor designed to traverse eight states along the coastal shoreline of the country starting from Lagos, South West and ending in Cross River State, South South, a total of 750 kilometres.
Ahmed informed that the contract,
awarded to Messrs Hitech Construction Africa Limited includes the construction of a continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) dual-carriage highway with accompanying drainages and culverts, median barriers, street lightings, and the relocation of public utilities like electric cables, poles, gas and water pipelines, as required and flagged-off on 24th May, 2024.
He said the tour of duty commenced at the beginning of Section I, where the Minister thanked the Members for the oversight visit, stating that they were witnesses to level of work carried out beneath the completed portion before applying cement.
Engr. Umahi informed them that plethora of court cases and petitions were slowing down the flow of work, while appealing to them to advise other Committees of the National Assembly to, always, liaise with them before summoning officials of the Ministry on frivolous matters concerning the project, also revealing that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had set up a legal team to deal with all pending cases in court.
The Minister advised aggrieved parties to stop playing politics with the viable project but approach the courts to seek redress like others, further divulging that Mr. President had, graciously, approved the payment of compensation to owners of properties within the project’s corridor, even to those with illegal structures.
“We have a lot of people who are not interested in this job being done. Everything government wants to do, some people want to thwart it,” he lamented.
On the Section II, he informed the visiting legislators that the President had also given approval for the extension of the 7th Axial Road passing through the Dangote Refinery, Lekki Free Trade Zone and the Deep Sea Port, built by Messrs Dangote Industries, on Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, to be linked with the Coastal Highway. He went on to say that the two sections will be linked via a cable bridge, as obtained in other climes like Dubai, UAE.
The Deputy Director, Highways, Bridges and Design, Engr. Musa Seidu briefed the entourage that work is going on, concurrently, at the two sections of the project. This was corroborated by the Acting Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Engr. Olufemi Dare, who added that demolition of structures on the alignment had reached an advanced stage.
The Managing Director of the construction company, Mr. Dany Abboud assured the team of the availability of adequate manpower and state-of-the-art equipment to complete the project, in line with designed specifications and timelines, promising to take them on an inspection of their yard.
Speaking, on behalf of other members, the 10th Senate and its leadership, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Sen. Mpigi Barinada disclosed that he was convinced that the project was at no point abandoned, as speculated by some mischievous Nigerians, while urging the Ministry not to hesitate in approaching them on any thorny issue concerning the project. He appealed to the Minister to urgently consider the other sections of the highway passing through the Niger Delta, being an indigene of the zone.
Contributing, the Minority Whip of the Senate and a member of the Committee, Sen. Osita Ngwu prompted the Ministry to regularly update Nigerians about the pace of the project.
On his part, the Chairman, House Committee on Works, Hon. Akin Alabi pledged the commitment and support of members and the leadership of the House to seeing the successful and scheduled completion of the project. He also appreciated and commended Mr. President for the legacy project, which will boost socioeconomic activities, as well as the Minister’s “can do spirit.”
Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Onyechachi Nwebonyi, applauded Mr President, the Minister and Contractor, insisting that the project will bring the economy back, as well as benefit Nigerians, tremendously. He dubbed it as “a game changer.”
