Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has replied Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State over his criticism of the cost of Federal Government road projects.
He declared himself superior to Makinde both in engineering and governance.
He spoke while inspecting the Keffi section of the Abuja–Mararaba–Keffi Road project in Nasarawa State, alongside Governor Abdullahi Sule.
He reacted to Makinde’s recent comment accusing him of “dancing around” the question of the cost per kilometre of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.
“Let me make it clear. I am an A student in Mathematics. I’m also his senior in engineering and his senior in governance. So when people like that speak, I take it with understanding, but I don’t like it when people make ignorant remarks about technical matters,” Umahi added.
He said it was misleading for anyone to simplify road construction costs by dividing total project figures by kilometres covered, noting that such an approach ignores key engineering variables.
“Road construction is not about dividing the total cost by the number of kilometres. Each section of a road differs in terrain, soil condition, drainage system, and design specifications. Some portions have bridges, some have retaining walls, some have median barriers, and some use concrete pavement. So you cannot have a uniform cost per kilometre,” he added.
He challenged the Oyo State Governor to a public technical debate if he believed the Ministry of Works was evading transparency on project costing.
“If Governor Makinde insists that I’m dancing around the cost issue, let him come for a debate. I’ll explain to him the entire cost breakdown of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and why it is structured the way it is.
” But I advise him to withdraw that statement because it was not made from an informed position,” Umahi said.
He clarified that government projects include contingency provisions and Value of Project (VOP) adjustments to account for inflation, design variations, and market fluctuations.
“Costing a road project before completion is only an estimate. It is at completion that we can determine the final average cost. Before then, several variables are at play, including exchange rate, material cost, and design review,” he said.
Governor Makinde earlier criticized the Works Minister for allegedly failing to provide clarity on how much the Federal Government is spending per kilometre on the ₦15 trillion Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.