No Favors, No Corruption: Umahi Clears Air on Lagos-Calabar Highway Contract

By Achimi Muktar

Amid speculations surrounding the awarding of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway contract, the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has firmly stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had no hand in recommending any company for the multi-billion naira project.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the project in Lagos on Saturday, Umahi dismissed claims of favoritism and corruption, emphasizing that the selection of Hitech Construction Company Ltd. followed due process.

“I want to say that there is no corruption in it. It is very transparent,” Umahi declared, responding to critics who questioned the bidding process.

Why Hitech Was Chosen

Addressing concerns that the project did not go through a competitive bidding process, Umahi explained that Nigerian law allows for three types of procurement:

Restrictive Procurement

Selective/Competitive Bidding

Open Bidding

According to the minister, when the project commenced, the government required a contractor with at least five written concrete pavers, a specialized equipment that was rare in Nigeria at the time.

“We had to look for a company that had done this kind of project before, and that is Hitech. They reconstructed the Oworonshoki-Apapa Road successfully, so we knew they could handle it,” he explained.

The Bidding Process

Umahi further clarified that the Federal Government did not bypass legal procedures in awarding the contract.

For Section 1, the government opted for restrictive bidding, which was approved by the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

For Section 2, a selective bidding process was used, where multiple companies participated, and Hitech emerged as the winner.

For Sections 3A and 3B, the same process was followed.

“We Followed the Law”

The minister assured Nigerians that the Federal Government adhered strictly to the Procurement Act and that the project was awarded based on merit.

“We have not gone outside the law, and we have not gone outside the Procurement Act,” Umahi reaffirmed.

As work progresses on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the government maintains that its priority is efficiency, quality, and transparency—not political interference or favoritism.