Funso Doherty raises fresh concerns over Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway cost

Funso Doherty, former Lagos governorship candidate, has raised fresh concerns over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road Project, questioning both the cost per kilometer and the transparency of the procurement process.

In an open letter addressed to Dave Umahi, the minister of Works and Housing, on Wednesday, Doherty alleged major procedural lapses and inconsistencies in the award and execution of the N1.067 trillion contract for the first section of the road, covering 47.474 kilometers.

“I have followed with keen interest the recent debates surrounding the cost per kilometer of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road Project,” Doherty wrote. “In your recent interview, you analyzed the cost of N1.067 trillion for the contract awarded for the first section of the road… translating directly to approximately N22.5 billion per kilometer.”

While acknowledging Umahi’s justification that the project involves a six-lane carriageway, Doherty maintained that “the fact remains that the actual contract cost per kilometer of Section 1 of the Coastal Road is N22.5 billion per kilometer.”

Doherty disclosed that he had instituted a legal action at the Federal High Court, now before the Court of Appeal, challenging the alleged failure of the Ministry to follow due process in the award of the contract.

“During the proceedings, we requested and obtained documents relating to the procurement of this contract from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP),” he stated, adding that the certified true copies of the cost breakdown are now being made public.

According to him, some sections of the report, including those dealing with appropriation, compliance tests, and conclusions, were not provided by the BPP.

Doherty further raised questions about changes in the scope of work and the absence of competitive bidding, saying: “At the time the contract was awarded, you were quoted as saying that the contract was for a 10-lane highway. The number of lanes is now known to have been reduced to six, yet there is no evidence that the contract sum was adjusted accordingly.”

He also observed that while streetlights were included in the contract, they accounted for “only about 3% of the total cost,” and that there was “no evidence from the documents and project description that shoreline protection is part of this contract.”

Doherty criticised the use of Direct (Single Source) Procurement in favour of Hi-Tech Construction, asserting that no engineering designs, feasibility studies, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), or tender evaluation reports were reviewed by the BPP.

Doherty expressed strong reservations about the Environmental Impact Assessment process, describing it as “unimaginable and dangerous” that the EIA certification was granted after construction had begun.

“The law requires that the EIA be completed and published for public comments before commencement of construction,” he stated. “In this case, the EIA was conducted and certification granted by the Ministry in November 2024, when construction was already at an advanced stage.”

While emphasising that the Coastal Road holds significant potential for economic growth, Doherty cautioned that its “size, scale, cost, and environmental implications call for a very high degree of diligence, accountability, and transparency.” (BusinessDay)