The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended the Federal Government’s decision to divert a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Ondo State, insisting that the decision was based on engineering considerations.
Umahi said he was aware of petitions questioning the diversion but maintained that public officials should be subjected to scrutiny because they are accountable to Nigerians.
“I am aware of petitions against me saying I diverted the Ondo section. I welcome that. That is how it is supposed to be because we are serving the public. You are subject to public scrutiny,” the minister said.
He added that the critical issue was whether the decision was right or wrong, stressing that he had no regrets about the action taken in Ondo.
“But the important thing is whether you are doing the right thing or the wrong thing. We have no regret for decisions taken in Ondo,” Umahi stated.
Minister Cites Difficult Terrain
Explaining the reason for the diversion, Umahi said the original route presented significant engineering challenges, including deep pits and difficulties in sourcing suitable sharp sand for construction.
According to him, the terrain made it impractical to apply the same construction cost per kilometre used on sections passing through more conventional terrain.
“You want me to pass through a terrain that you have over 100 metres of pits deep, and I have no defined sharp sand to 300 metres, and you expect the cost of one kilometre to be the same cost with a road passing through normal terrain?” he asked.
The minister explained that engineers had to make what he described as a major engineering decision to avoid the difficult route and redesign the alignment.
