The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has directed that two tv stations ought to be taken to the mission website of the Lagos-Calabar Freeway each week to point out sections of ongoing work to the general public.
This directive was given by the Minister throughout an inspection tour of the mission and a few bridges in Lagos, as a part of the transparency initiative by the Federal Authorities.
The mission has been bedevilled by transparency considerations and many allegations of violations of bidding processes.
Umahi mentioned Nigerians must know what is going on with the mission, noting that when the highway is accomplished, folks could not perceive the trouble that was put into it.
Umahi mentioned, “Individuals must know what is going on right here. It takes braveness for the contractor, for the ministry, and for Mr President who authorized this mission.
”When the highway is accomplished, Nigerians could not perceive the trouble that went into it, so we should showcase it.’’
The minister famous that some sections required removing of poor supplies to depths of between 5 and 20 metres earlier than refilling with stone lumps and sand.
In accordance with him, such deep fillings had been vital for the highway’s sturdiness.
“I’m very pleased with Hitech. No different contractor would have completed this. Their gear and workforce remind me of an anthill, with vehicles and machines working in all places.
” There are such a lot of unwritten issues being completed right here for the soundness of this job,” he mentioned.
Umahi recommended the standard of sand filling, stone base, and reinforcement, describing Hitech Building Firm as “extremely brave and dedicated to nationwide improvement.”
He added that the ministry would proceed to approve certificates for cost immediately for the reason that works had been verified on website.
The minister, in the course of the inspection, additionally directed the mission managers and engineers to keep up meticulous data for the Lagos-Calabar Freeway.
Umahi mentioned all building ranges should be fastidiously documented, emphasising the necessity for detailed documentation earlier than the top of September.
He mentioned, “All the degrees, from current floor stage to ranges after eradicating dangerous soil, refilling, and pavement, should be put collectively and shared with oversight our bodies just like the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee, the Unbiased Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Fee, and the Nationwide Meeting.
“When the job is completed, folks could neglect, so these data are essential.’’
The 700 km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Freeway is among the Federal Authorities’s flagship highway initiatives, aimed toward boosting connectivity, commerce, and improvement throughout coastal states.
The mission was awarded to Hitech Building Firm Restricted beneath an Engineering, Procurement, Building, and Financing (EPC+F) association, with most dangers borne by the contractor and the federal authorities offering counterpart funding.
Building started in March 2024, beginning with the primary part, a 47.7 km stretch inside Lagos State.
In the meantime, a former Lagos State ADC gubernatorial candidate, Funso Doherty, had, in July 2025, introduced that he had, by way of his legal professionals, served a pre-action discover to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), citing alleged violations of bidding processes within the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Freeway mission.
In accordance with the seen paperwork, one image exhibits the pre-action discover, dated July 4, 2024, served to the BPP for awarding the N15 trillion mission to Hitech with out aggressive bidding, opposite to the provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
The opposite image, an announcement dated March 15, 2024, introduced his plan to serve pre-action notices to the BPP, Environmental Safety Company, and the Attorney General of the Federation if they didn’t handle violations of public procurement processes and environmental affect evaluation necessities inside 30 days.
