Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the Federal Government to make public the contract documents and payment records for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to reroute sections of the road through the existing East-West Road.
Atiku said the proposed realignment had raised concerns about the original contract, payments already made and the cost implications of the changes.
In a statement issued on Monday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku alleged that the government might be considering additional borrowing to finance the project.
He called on the government to disclose any proposed loan, the contract it would fund and the amount already expended on the highway.
“Publish the proposed loan, the contract it would finance and the record of what has already been paid. If no such request exists, say so plainly and on the record,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate also criticised the Tinubu administration’s handling of the petrol subsidy removal, arguing that Nigerians should not be made to shoulder additional financial burdens without transparency in public spending.
According to him, the rising cost of living has continued to affect households since the removal of the subsidy, making accountability over major infrastructure projects particularly important.
Atiku questioned how the government intended to account for work excluded from the original route, the payments already made and the revised cost of the project.
He said Nigerians deserved a clear explanation of the financial implications of the changes before any additional borrowing could be considered.
The former vice-president consequently demanded the release of the original feasibility and environmental studies, route maps, bills of quantities, contract variations, Bureau of Public Procurement approvals, payment certificates and any loan proposals connected to the highway.
He also called on the National Assembly to organise a public hearing before considering additional financing for the project.
Atiku described the reported route adjustments and the possibility of further borrowing as examples of what he called policy inconsistency under Tinubu’s administration.
“This is the policy inconsistency that has defined Tinubu’s government and made an already severe cost of living crisis harder for Nigerians to bear,” he said.
He further warned that changes to major infrastructure projects without proper disclosure of their financial implications could create opportunities for corruption and leave taxpayers bearing unexplained costs.
“Announce a plan. Change it without a full accounting. Then present the public with a bigger bill. When capital spending is hidden from scrutiny, corruption has room to grow and the people suffer more,” Atiku said.
He pledged that an administration led by him would ensure transparency in capital project budgeting, account for changes in project scope and costs, and subject public expenditure to independent audits.
“Nigerians are not against roads. They are against secret bills for changing plans. Tinubu must show the route, show the accounts and show the loan request. Enough of grand announcements followed by expensive surprises,” he added.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, had earlier disclosed that Tinubu directed that the coastal highway should follow the existing East-West Road from Ondo State into Edo State to avoid constructing a new alignment along the corridor.
Umahi explained that the decision was also informed by flooding challenges along the East-West Road, particularly around the Ughelli axis in Delta State.
