Atiku Demands Full Disclosure Of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Contract Amid Cost Controversy

This demand comes amid controversy over the average cost of the road per kilometre, a figure that Minister of Works David Umahi had long declined to disclose.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the President Bola Tinubu administration to publish the full contractual details of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, including financing terms and counterpart obligations.

This demand comes amid controversy over the average cost of the road per kilometre, a figure that Minister of Works David Umahi had long declined to disclose.

“You will find out that our cost is ₦4 billion instead of the ₦8 billion claimed by the former Vice President,” a statement titled “Coastal Highway Cost Scandal: Atiku Abubakar Vindicated,” signed by Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said.

“However, the same minister has now done a volte face and admitted that the actual cost is indeed closer to ₦8 billion per kilometre — precisely what Atiku warned Nigerians about.”

“This admission not only vindicates the former Vice President’s position but also exposes the Tinubu administration’s lack of transparency in managing one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in Nigeria’s history,” the statement said.

Atiku had earlier questioned the project’s cost structure and financing model, describing it as opaque, inflated, and suspiciously designed to benefit vested interests rather than the Nigerian people.

The project is estimated to cost $11 billion, with the Federal Government committing only 15%–30% of the total project cost. This raises fundamental questions about the role of private financiers and the potential risks involved.

“This raises fundamental questions: Who are the actual financiers? What sovereign guarantees underpin this arrangement? How did a project initially presented as cost-efficient balloon to Atiku’s projected figure?” Shaibu asked.

Shaibu added, “This development reinforces Atiku Abubakar’s consistent call for due process, competitive bidding, and transparency in all major public projects. Nigerians deserve openness, not contradictions and concealed deals.”

He maintained that the call for transparency and accountability in the project has grown louder, with many Nigerians demanding answers.

“We, therefore, call on the Tinubu administration to: publish the full contractual details, including financing terms and counterpart obligations; subject the project to an independent value-for-money audit; and suspend further payments until Nigerians are assured that the project genuinely serves national interest,” Shaibu added.

Atiku’s vindication has once again proven his commitment to transparency and accountability in governance, Shaibu stated. As a statesman, he continues to speak truth to power, not out of politics, but out of patriotism.

“The Nigerian people are watching — and history, yet again, has vindicated Atiku Abubakar.”