Federal Ministry of Works: Lagos-Calabar Highway No Engineering Design

• Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has no single, comprehensive engineering design.
• Construction began in March 2024, and the project is being designed and costed section by section.
• Umahi justified this approach by stating that no road project's initial design perfectly matches reality, and individual section designs are developed after environmental and soil investigations.
• He compared project costs to a Benin Republic highway, estimating a standard two-lane carriageway at $5.5 million per kilometre.
• The lack of a unified design and comprehensive cost raises significant concerns about financial transparency, procurement, and potential legal risks for all stakeholders.

For legal professionals advising contractors, financiers, or other stakeholders involved in the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, the absence of a comprehensive engineering design signals heightened legal and financial risks.

Nigeria's 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a project championed by President Bola Tinubu's administration, currently operates without a single, comprehensive engineering design, according to a recent disclosure by Minister of Works, David Umahi. This significant revelation comes more than two years after construction on the ambitious infrastructure project commenced in March 2024. Instead of a holistic blueprint, the highway is being developed and costed on a section-by-section basis, a method that has drawn scrutiny.

The Minister's statement, made during an interview on Arise Television, directly addresses persistent public inquiries surrounding the project's overall financial commitment, its construction methodology, the status of environmental approvals, and the government's capacity to bring such a massive undertaking to completion. The absence of a unified engineering design for the Lagos-Calabar highway raises fundamental questions about the foundational planning of this critical national asset, particularly given its scale and strategic importance.

Umahi defended the current approach, asserting that in reality, no road project's initial design ever perfectly aligns with its final constructed state. He clarified that the Federal Ministry of Works archives do not contain a complete engineering design, detailed subsoil investigations, or other technical documentation covering the entire Lagos-Calabar highway route, despite the concept having been conceived as early as 1955 and gazetted in 2006. According to the Minister, the standard procedure involves developing engineering designs for individual sections only after environmental assessments and soil investigations have established the precise route, terrain characteristics, and specific technical requirements for each segment.

Furthermore, the Minister explained that the Federal Executive Council has approved a procurement arrangement mandating that the project be procured section by section. This segmented procurement strategy, he argued, renders it inappropriate to simply multiply an estimated average cost by the entire 750-kilometre length of the highway. Umahi also challenged the widely circulated N15 trillion figure for the project, questioning its origin and reiterating that no one has the authority to calculate an average cost and apply it across the entire distance. He cited a comparison with a coastal highway project in the neighboring Benin Republic, noting that a standard two-lane carriageway would cost approximately $5.5 million per kilometre, equivalent to N7.3 billion. He further elaborated on a 47-kilometre section of the Nigerian highway, comparing its cost to a 47.47-kilometre coastal road in Benin Republic, which cost N1.06 trillion, and estimated a three-carriageway configuration at N7.5 billion per kilometre, adjusting this to arrive at the two-lane estimate using an exchange rate of N1,330 to the dollar. He stressed that accurate cost comparisons must account for differences in road configuration and specific project requirements.

The current situation, characterized by the Lagos-Calabar highway no engineering design for its entirety and the lack of a comprehensive project cost, introduces significant challenges for project oversight and transparency. These Nigeria coastal highway design issues inherently complicate the government's ability to definitively establish the total financial commitment required, accurately assess the highway's overall economic value, and clearly communicate the final completion cost to the Nigerian populace. Such an approach raises substantial Nigeria infrastructure procurement concerns, potentially leading to questions regarding accountability and efficient resource allocation.

For legal professionals advising contractors, financiers, or other stakeholders involved in the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, the absence of a comprehensive engineering design signals heightened legal and financial risks. This scenario could lead to potential contractual disputes stemming from scope changes, significant cost overruns due to unforeseen engineering challenges, and irregularities in procurement processes. Furthermore, while construction commenced after a provisional Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) certificate was obtained, the segmented design approach could present ongoing challenges to environmental compliance as individual sections are finalized. Heightened due diligence and robust risk mitigation strategies are therefore essential for any party engaging with this project, given the inherent uncertainties in its planning and execution.

Lawyers advising contractors, financiers, or stakeholders involved in the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project should note the significant legal and financial risks posed by the absence of a comprehensive engineering design. This raises concerns about potential contractual disputes, cost overruns, procurement irregularities, and challenges to environmental compliance, necessitating heightened due diligence and risk mitigation strategies for any engagement with the project.

Source: Original reporting via Arise Television interview with Minister David Umahi.