Tag: Lagos-Calabar highway

Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, says a number of financial institutions have shown eagerness to participate in execution of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway and similar landmark road projects of the Federal Government.

The minister disclosed this  while addressing journalists after inspecting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and some bridges in Lagos.

“ I have had meetings with a lot of financial institutions, and they are very eager to participate.

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“ We are doing everything to complete Section 1 by December and have it approved, and that will open a floodgate for other financial aids.

“One thing that I must commend the President  for and, of course, beat my chest and say glory be to God, is that the international funders came and they saw the quantum of the job we are doing.

“That, for me, is a pass mark,” Umahi said.

He said that the recently-inaugurated 30km portion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would not be opened to motorists until completion of an additional 17.47km portion of the Section One, Phase One, of the road project.

Investors and stakeholders affected by the contentious diversion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway have accused the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, of failing to comply with a court order regarding the project.

They urged the minister to address the pending legal directive and explain his refusal to obey a valid court ruling concerning the highway’s rerouting.

The diversion of the coastal highway to Okun Ajah in Lagos has sparked a heated dispute between the Federal Ministry of Works and investors of WinHomes Global Services Limited.

In response to the controversy, Umahi had demanded that the CEO of WinHomes publish detailed financial records of diaspora investors, from whom she allegedly raised $250 million to fund the housing project in Okun Ajah.

“There’s one Mrs Ifeoma who goes to African restaurants in America and pays people little sums of money, saying she invested $250m. If she collects the $250m, those who paid to her should hold her responsible, as nothing has been done on the land, just a gatehouse,” the Minister said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes, Stella Ifeoma Okengwu in a statement

described Umahi’s request as a distraction from the main issue. 

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According to Okengwu, the main bone of contention is the minister’s lack of respect for the rule of law. 

“The minister should first address the issue of pending court order and explain in detail the reason behind his refusal to obey a valid court order. It’s a straightforward issue. 

“He should tell Nigerians why the illegal diversion from the 2006 Coastal Road alignment into Winhomes property. Not only that, Minister Umahi should back his claims with legal authorization from the relevant authorities including the Presidency, Lagos state government, the National Assembly or the Lagos State Assembly. 

Okengwu added that she would not be intimidated or bow to pressure in her pursuits of justice and fairness. 

Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Highway project, Okengwu, said: “We are committed to working collaboratively with government entities, but this must be grounded in legality and fairness”. She concluded.

Over the last few months, David Umahi has come under fire over the diversion of the Lagos-Calabar highway project in the Okun Ajah section of the construction. 

A group of American investors has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in a dispute involving the destruction of its N375 billion investment in real estate.

 The investors, under the aegis of the Association of Nigerians in Diaspora, claimed that a  senior government official ordered the demolition of their properties, worth $250 million, in Okun Ajah, Lagos State, despite having the necessary certifications and approvals.

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 At a news conference, the Managing Director of Winhomes Global Services Limited, Stella Ifeoma Okengwu, an engineer, alleged that the officials’  actions reveal a pattern of illegal demolition  and manipulation.

 A letter stated that the investors had made significant contributions to Nigeria’s economy, repatriating $250 million in foreign direct investment, but had faced unjust treatment at the hands of  some officials.

 The investors are seeking President Tinubu’s immediate intervention to rescue their investment and restore faith in Nigeria’s governance and the rule of law.

Diaspora  investors, under Association of Nigerian Diaspora Investors, is seeking  intervention to save their investment following realignment of the 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Highway.

Many property in Lagos State, including WinHomes Global Investment in Okun Ajah were demolished to create right of way for the coastal highway.

FIVE hundred investors, of which  70 per cent may be diaspora Nigerians, have  $250 million stake in the estate.

At a news conference in Lagos, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) confirmed that many members invested in Okun Ajah estate.

 It faulted the spate of demolitions and called for compensation for the victims.

“What is happening is discouraging investment in this sector. About 35 per cent of diaspora investors have been affected and these are people whose annual remittances contribute to national GDP. We want governments to make Lagos an investment haven,” Kunle Adeyemi, vice chair of Southwest REDAN, said.

Adeyemi said many diaspora Nigerians were reconsidering their investment because, according to him, security of investment is no longer guaranteed as a result of property demolitions.

Timothy Nubi, director of Centre for Housing and Sustainability Development in University of Lagos, regretted that between 2022 and 2024, 10,000 buildings were demolished in Abuja, representing trillions of naira in lost value.

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Stella Okengwu, a diasporan investor, said “our goal is to attract $250 million in repatriated investments through WinHomes Investment Scheme.

“We are law-abiding citizens committed to development and growth of Nigerian economy as well as social and political development through jobs for over 5000 youths via real estate projects powered by Winhomes Global Services.”

Okengwu said the investors did their due diligence, including confirming the property had a certificate of occupancy issued by Lagos State for Okun Ajah.

He said they obtained the governor’s consent and cleared from the coastal road right of way, which further confirmed validity of the title to the land.

In a letter by Olubokun Basorun, Femi Adekoya, Arinze Onwumelu and Kimberly Stark, they said they did everything right and yet their property was demolished without explanation or compensation.

According to the letter, the investors were motivated by a commitment to contribute to the nation’s economy by showing faith in Nigeria, repatriating funds for housing development and other socio-economic benefits.

A Group of Diaspora Nigerians has alleged illegal diversion and alteration of the original route of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway construction project at Okun Ajah, Lagos State.

The group said the action had affected their investments in WinHomes Estate, located at Okun Ajah, accusing the Federal Ministry of Works of sidestepping the original gazetted alignment of the highway under construction.

A representative of the group, Mr Femi Adekoya, in a statement on Friday, further alleged harassment and intimidation of their members in an attempt to cow them into submission.

He claimed the alleged diversion had led to the destruction of buildings and other structures at the privately owned housing estate.

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In a swift reaction, however, the Federal Ministry of Works said no official of the Ministry has the mandate to divert the road project from its original route.

In a telephone interview at the weekend, Mr. Orji Orji, Media Adviser to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said the action of the group was politically motivated.

“They are looking for people that will help them to play politics with the road project,” Orji said.

But the group insisted that the Ministry and some of its officials were acting in ways that could undermine their investments in the said housing estate, claiming that members hold legal titles to their land.

“We have all the necessary legal documentation, including Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) issued by the Lagos State Government, including those whose properties were demolished without any prior notice,” they claimed.

A body of independent policy analysts, the Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI), has justified the N2.8trn to be expended on the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.

The group maintained that the cost of construction of the highway “is appropriate”.

It also faulted former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s criticism of the project, insisting that there is enough proof to support the cost of the mega project.

IMPI in a statement by its chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, in Abuja on Wednesday, April 17, said its study of the situation showed that all the claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate were off the mark and targeted at discrediting the project.

The think tank group acknowledged the track record of the project handling firm in constructing coastal highways with reinforced concrete in many countries, citing the successful handling of the Bar Beach Shoreline protection.

On Atiku’s criticism of the cost of the project, the policy group insisted that a cost analysis of road projects similar to the Lagos-Calabar highway in some parts of the world showed that the cost of the project was appropriate.

“We note that there is no unified standard pricing template for the cost of building a kilometre of road anywhere in the world. The realities of road building have much to do with several variables: location, terrain, type of construction, number of lanes, lane width, surface durability, and the number of bridges, to name a few.

“Yet, for engagement, we reviewed some cost estimates in some other countries to establish the context of fraud or otherwise that Waziri Abubakar is trying to throw up.

“To build a 2-lane road of 12 metres wide of each lane with no bridges in states of North Eastern United States of America is $3.34m per km (when converted to Naira using the N1200/$ adopted by Umahi, it comes to N4.08bn per km) while the same 2-lane road in South Eastern USA with no bridges is $ 3.78m per km (N4.53bn per km)

“According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the average cost of building a concrete road in rural areas is around $2.5m per mile, while in urban areas it can cost upwards of $5 m per mile.

“In California, the estimated cost of building a concrete road ranges from $3 million to $6 million per mile, depending on the location and other factors. In Australia, average road project costs were around $5.1m (N6.12bn) per lane kilometre in 2017.

“But in Bangladesh, according to the World Bank, the estimated cost of construction is $6.6m (N7.92bn) per kilometre for the Rangpur-Hatikumrul highway, $7m (N8.4bn) per kilometre for Dhaka-Sylhet highway, $11.9 million (N14.28 billion) per kilometre for Dhaka-Mawa highway. This underscores cost differentials in road construction because of peculiarities in terrains.

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“These figures are far higher than the N4.329 billion per kilometre of 10 lanes Coastal Road with very peculiar terrains that Umahi says Hitech has commenced construction of.

“For clarity, a technical analysis of the features of the road will suffice: The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road is designed to be 10 lanes with a total pavement of 59.2 metres with 100 metres corridor. Of this corridor, there will be five lanes on the right and five lanes on the left. This comes with a 25-metre train track.”

The policy think tank added that the federal government deserves commendation for reducing the cost of the project to N4.329bn per km from the N8.52bn/km in the initial design for a four-lane Lagos-Calabar highway by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).