The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, has denied reports that he said former President Olusegun Obasanjo should not use the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway once completed. Speaking during an inspection tour of the project in Lagos on Saturday, Umahi clarified his comments, stating that he never barred Obasanjo from using the road.
He said: “The point is that the former president is not only my former president, he is also my father and my in-law; so, I have my respect for him. I never said the former president should not use the road.
“He is not the only one among the few criticising the road project. I said, ‘If you say the road is not good, you have a choice to use it or not to use it.’ That is what I said. I didn’t say the former president should not use the road.” Umahi explained that the highway would reduce travel time from Lagos to Calabar to just five hours, making it an important evacuation corridor for industries and refineries.
Responding to concerns that the project might be linked to corruption, Umahi dismissed such claims and recalled that Obasanjo had previously praised his leadership transparency when he was Governor of Ebonyi State.
