Engineering Minister Senator Dave Umahi denied reports that he said former President Olusegun Obasanjo should not use the Lagos-Calabal coastal highway once completed.
Umahi clarified his comments while speaking on Saturday during an inspection tour of the project in Lagos, saying he never Ban Obasanjo From the road to use.
He said:The key is that the former president is not only my former president, but also my father and in-laws. So, I respect him. I never said that former presidents shouldn’t use this path.
“He is not the only one of the few people who criticize the road project. I said, “If you say the road is not good, you can choose to use it or not.” “That’s what I said. I’m not saying that the former president shouldn’t use this path.transparent
Lagos-Calabal Coastal Highway: Not a wasteful project
Umahi defends the 700km road project, describing it as an important investment that will bring huge socio-economic benefits rather than wasted expenses.
The minister said: “If you say the project is a waste, that’s an ambiguous statement.
Is it was wasted in the sense that it should not be?
“In a sense, will we earn carbon credit from concrete pavement and sunlight?
In a sense, along this corridor, will we have windmill energy that connects all communities?
From Lagos to Calabar, is it wasted? ”
The minister also pointed out that the federal government has also implemented the Sokoto-Badagry highway project (1,068 km) and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe highway project (462 km), questioning why critics have selected the Lagos-Kababar project.
“Why then pick this out and say it’s a waste? ” he asked.
Umahi explained that the expressway will make travel from Lagos to Calabar only five hours, making it an important evacuation corridor for the industry and refineries.
He said: “It’s an evacuation corridor; therefore, the amount the federal government uses for transshipment will be saved.transparent
He also noted that the first section of the expressway will be completed within the next six months.
Umahi responded to concerns about the project’s possible corruption, dismissed the claim, recalling Obasanjo’s former praise for his leadership transparency when he was governor of Ebony.
He said:He is my father. If the father suddenly says his son is corrupt, it depends on the son saying he is not corrupt. ”
Umahi reiterated that the project was transparent, necessary and financially beneficial, urging Nigerians to support the project rather than question its feasibility.
