The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has taken a swipe at Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde over his recent comments on the cost per kilometre of federal road projects.
He said the governor lacked a proper understanding of road engineering and cost computation.
NewsNGRrecalls that the Oyo governor had reportedly mocked the minister over the fallout of his interview on Arise TV recently.
The governor had reportedly requested the minister to come out clean on the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
But speaking during an inspection tour with the Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr Abdullahi Sule, on Saturday, Umahi said it was misleading to make blanket comparisons on the cost of road construction without considering varying design specifications, materials, and site conditions.
The project inspected included the Keffi-Abuja Road, Keffi Bridge, and Nasarawa-Toto Road.
The minister explained that the ongoing project, originally pegged at 43 kilometres, had been expanded to 45 kilometres to fully utilise the ₦73bn allocated by the last administration.
He said the cost structure of a road depends on whether the shoulders are made of asphalt, surface tracing, or concrete, stressing that each material carries a different cost implication.
“It is being mischievous when people just ask for the cost per kilometre of a road without understanding the components. If you divide ₦73bn by 45 kilometres, that gives you an estimated cost.
“But that figure includes contingency and variation of price (VOP) elements that may never be used. When the project is completed, and you deduct unused contingency and VOP, you then arrive at the actual cost per kilometre,” the minister said.
Taking a swipe at Makinde, Umahi said, “When I heard my brother and friend, Governor Makinde, talk about cost per kilometre, I didn’t want to join issues with him. I think he is an engineer and an electrician — elect elect — but road construction is not in that category.
“I am his senior in governance and in engineering practice. If there’s anything he doesn’t understand, he should call me, and I’ll explain it to him.”
He added that there was no ambiguity in road project costing, emphasising that “cost per kilometre” could only be determined after completion, when estimated and average costs are reconciled.
Umahi also expressed delight that artificial intelligence (AI) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) had affirmed his earlier explanations, saying, “I’m happy that AI told him exactly what I said.
“You can become a professor through practice, and I think God has made me one when it comes to field engineering.”
Earlier, the minister said the inspection tour with the Nasarawa governor was aimed at clearing roadside trading in certain locations to make room for additional carriageways and ease traffic flow.
He said once the governor approves, the ministry would demolish illegal roadside structures and fix new lanes to eliminate gridlock in those areas.
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