Rights group queries N7.5bn Per Km cost, demands full disclosure on Coastal Highway project

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed outrage over the disclosure by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is estimated to cost an average of N7.5 billion per kilometre.

In a strongly worded statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the association described the figure as excessive and deeply troubling, calling for immediate independent scrutiny of the project’s financing and procurement structure.

HURIWA said the reported cost raises serious concerns about transparency and fiscal responsibility under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly at a time when many Nigerians are grappling with rising inflation, unemployment, food insecurity and declining purchasing power.

According to the group, it is unacceptable for citizens facing economic hardship to be asked to accept what it termed an “astronomical” cost profile for a federal road project without full public disclosure of the underlying financial and engineering justifications.

The association called for the urgent formation of a broad-based national accountability coalition comprising the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Labour Congress, civil society groups, engineers, economists, procurement experts and transparency advocates to subject the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to a comprehensive forensic audit.

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The group insisted that the Freedom of Information Act should be invoked to compel the release of all contractual and financial documents linked to the project, stressing that public infrastructure funded with taxpayers’ money must not be shielded from scrutiny.

HURIWA further argued that several countries with more advanced infrastructure systems and stronger regulatory frameworks often deliver highway projects at comparatively lower costs, urging the government to provide clear explanations to justify the reported expenditure.

The association also expressed concern over remarks allegedly attributed to the Minister linking federal infrastructure spending to future electoral expectations.

It warned that any suggestion that public projects should attract political “repayment” raises constitutional and ethical questions, noting that federal roads are funded through public resources and not personal or partisan generosity.

In addition, HURIWA called on the National Assembly to commence public investigative hearings into the project. It urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to monitor financial flows related to the highway and asked the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to independently review procurement compliance.

The group also appealed to professional engineering bodies to conduct independent technical evaluations and encouraged international anti-corruption and transparency institutions to monitor the project’s financing structure.

HURIWA demanded that future disbursements for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be temporarily suspended pending independent forensic review and public accountability hearings, warning that unchecked public borrowing and opaque spending could undermine institutional integrity.

Reaffirming its stance, the association maintained that accountability and transparency are essential pillars of democracy, insisting that public scrutiny of major infrastructure projects should not be misconstrued as political opposition.

“No democracy can survive when citizens are denied transparency over projects funded with borrowed public money that future generations will repay,” the statement added.

HURIWA concluded by urging Nigerians to demand openness and fiscal discipline in the management of public resources, stressing that democratic governance requires answers, accountability and respect for the public trust.