Umahi says he alone approved Hitech contract for coastal highway

Works Minister David Umahi has said President Bola Tinubu did not instruct him to award the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Hitech Construction Company, insisting that he took responsibility for the procurement decision. Umahi made the statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today amid continuing controversy over the project’s procurement and funding. He rejected suggestions that the contract was a channel for money laundering by the administration.

The minister said Hitech was selected because of its experience dealing with coastal erosion and restoring Victoria Island. He said the company’s previous work demonstrated a capacity relevant to the coastal project, adding that the decision was not affected by any relationship between Tinubu and Hitech owner Gilbert Chagoury. Umahi said Nigerian procurement law allowed several procedures, including restrictive selective tendering for urgent projects.

Under that process, he said, qualified companies could be invited, assessed through the Bureau of Public Procurement and then considered through commercial bidding. He also disputed the suggestion that the project itself required approval from the National Assembly. According to Umahi, legislative approval was needed for the borrowing plan, rather than for the procurement process.

He said the project had passed through the relevant approval procedures. The minister described planned works as including hydraulic channels and service lanes designed to move floodwater towards the lagoon and improve access for people living along the route. He said some existing Lagos State drainage channels were blocked or insufficient.

Umahi estimated that the highway would last between 50 and 100 years with low maintenance.