Former Lagos governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and now a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Funso Doherty, has raised fresh concerns over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project, questioning the cost transparency and due process compliance of the multitrillion-naira contract.
In an open letter dated October 15, 2025, and addressed to the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, Doherty noted discrepancies between the project’s original design and current implementation, alleging that while the number of lanes has been reduced from ten to six, there has been no corresponding adjustment to the N1.067tn contract sum for the first section of the road.
Doherty referenced Umahi’s recent media interview, where the minister explained that Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road covers 47.474 kilometres at a total cost of N1.067tn — equivalent to N22.5bn per kilometre for the six-lane section.
Umahi had reportedly argued that this figure would translate to N7.5bn per kilometre if compared to a standard two-lane federal highway.
However, Doherty maintained that, regardless of such comparisons, the actual cost to taxpayers remains N22.5bn per kilometre.
He also questioned the inclusion and scale of additional components such as streetlights and shoreline protection, noting that available documents from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) indicate that streetlighting accounts for only about 3 percent of the total contract cost, while there is no evidence that shoreline protection works are part of the contract.
The PDP chieftain further alleged that the contract was awarded through a direct (single-source) procurement process in favour of Hi-Tech Construction without competitive bidding, feasibility studies, or engineering designs being reviewed by the BPP.
“Had these been done, most of these questions would not arise,” Doherty wrote, adding that such procedures are essential to ensure accountability, transparency, and value for money on projects of this scale.
He also raised serious concerns about the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, describing it as “both unimaginable and dangerous” that certification was granted in November 2024 — months after construction had already commenced in March of the same year.
According to him, the EIA should have been completed and published for public input before construction began, especially given Lagos’s vulnerability to flooding and coastal erosion.
“It is not good practice for the project contractor to be paid to procure the EIA; this should be contracted separately by the Ministry with an independent, unbiased firm,” he emphasised.
Doherty disclosed that he had instituted legal action at the Federal High Court over alleged violations of due process in the award of the contract, and that the matter is now before the Court of Appeal.
He also made public certified true copies of extracts from the BPP’s due process report, which were provided to his legal team during the proceedings.
While acknowledging the economic potential of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, Doherty said its “size, scale, cost, and environmental implications” demand a higher level of diligence and public accountability.
“I believe this is what Nigerians instinctively understand, and what the recent public debates reflect. It is also what my ongoing legal action seeks to reinforce,” he stated.
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