Umahi Inspects Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Challenges CEO On N50m Land Claim
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
In line with his commitment towards periodic performance evaluation of the ongoing federal road projects across the Geo-Political Zones of Nigeria, the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has paid inspection visits to sections I & II of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Lagos State.
Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister of Works, Barr. Orji Uchenna disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
During the inspection dated 29th September 2025, the Minister was accompanied by a public affairs analyst and spokesperson to the 2019 Atiku presidential campaign organization Segun Sowunmi, the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adebomehin, the Director Highway Bridges and Design, Engr. Musa Saidu and the Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Kesha as well as some Civil Society groups.
His visit was to also reverify the evaluation of the additional work of the contractor handling the project, Hitech Construction Company Ltd as compiled by the Department of Roads and Bridges of the Federal Ministry of Works.
Umahi further commended the pace and quality of work by the contractor and attributed the success of the project and the solution proffered to some technical problems encountered in some sections of the project to excellence in performance and extraordinary commitment to national development by the contractor, noting that Hitech was set to build Nigeria’s biggest flyovers at the connecting point between sections I & II of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to resolve traffic conflicts along the highway.
In another development, the Minister called upon the leadership of PENGASSAN to put the nation first and shelve their impending strike action over their disagreement with Dangote Group. He urged them to allow God’s wisdom to prevail in the efforts to resolve the matter, noting that such action would have a negative impact on the rebounding economy.
The Minister challenged Winhome CEO, Stella Okengwu to show evidence of investment on the land she claimed to have purchased in 2022 at the total cost of N50m and to show any proof of approval to develop such to the tune of US$250m.
He noted that the Lagos State government had revoked the land to give the right way to the federal government. He further challenged the diaspora investor to disclose where the said money was invested on if not a rickety gate that was erected on the land for which the federal government had offered her a monetary compensation.
After the project inspection, Sowunmi described the work done by Hitech as a masterpiece and praised the vision of Mr. President in building the Renewed Hope legacy road projects describing it as a desirable roadmap to the transformation of Nigeria’s economic landscape.
He charged Nigerians to look beyond politics and support any government programme that would guarantee the future of the citizenry. He said that Mr. President was building consensus around national development, and that as opposition, he was ready to converse on behalf of Nigerians.
He noted that a nation at 65 must be in a hurry to get deserving infrastructural linkages like other advanced nations of the world.
