Nigeria's Coastal Road Project: Minister Umahi's Bold Vision and Procurement Challenges Unveiled

Watching the interviews of Nigeria's Minister of Works, Senator David Nweze Umahi, discussing the coastal road projects on TVC and Arise television was captivating.

He stated that the 700km project would be completed within the eight years of this administration—a bold statement of hope from a renewed hope minister in a country with elections every four years.

It has been some time since I heard a minister respond to questions so intelligently and directly, without political evasion. This is the expectation when professionals lead offices related to their field, especially those with strong diplomatic and business skills. His insights on PPP versus EPC+F were enlightening, and his transparency regarding the project's payments was praiseworthy.

However, there are still concerns about the procurement process. He recounted the history of how the contractor became renowned for this type of road construction and credited the President, who was then the Governor, as a key supporter during initial doubts. It's important to remember that every organization has a first project of a certain type, which should not diminish public confidence in their delivery capabilities.

For developmental tasks, a country requires multiple competent entities that employ a competitive and strong Value for Money approach. It's also crucial to build the capacity of local contractors to undertake and complete challenging tasks. Ideally, pairing foreign companies with local contractors for every public works project would enhance knowledge sharing, skill transfer, local content development, and economic growth as we invest in and nurture the local currency.

The commercial and technical feasibility of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road Project can be realized if the bidding process is transparent. I hope the Minister will consider opening the tenders for the next phases of the project to ensure the best value for money, foster public trust and transparency, enhance local capacity, and stimulate the local economy.

I am eager to travel this route. However, if the toll within Lagos is 3k, I wonder what the total toll cost would be for the entire 700km journey. Given that the state had over 5.2 million vehicles as of 2016, estimating 50k vehicles per day seems conservative. I urge Minister Umahi to reconsider the toll estimates to make commuting more affordable along this corridor. We should not have to contend with both rising fuel prices and toll fees.

This project is commendable, and I believe it will yield significant economic benefits for the country and neighboring states, boost tourism, combat terrorism, and revive the joy of embarking on quick and safe road trips.

Thanks for reading this article:

Watch the interview on TVC: https://youtu.be/w2UIw1E_mFg?si=fWV0lGplngfC0DUU

Watch the interview on Arise News: https://youtu.be/8HH3yczUALg?si=Yo0BRxNtoYuN0ExZ

Get your appliances working whenever you need them. No power failure, no pollution, enjoy 99.99% equipment uptime with peace of mind. Visit https://www.sunvelop.com or call +2347031231728 to get solar energy today.