Atiku's aide fires back at Umahi over coastal road project

The Minister of Works, Mr Dave Umahi, has been critiqued for his late response to demands that he provide the costing and financial breakdown for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

Pulse had earlier reported that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to reveal the complete cost of the project, emphasising the importance of transparency, particularly during Nigeria’s ongoing economic difficulties.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, April 9, Atiku raised concerns over the Tinubu administration’s decision to allocate ₦1.06 trillion for the first stage, which represents only 6% of the overall project budget.

Umahi's reply to Atiku

Umahi, at a recent press briefing, reacted to Atiku’s criticism, stating that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain lacked an understanding of figures.

He said, “He (Atiku) doesn’t understand figures, and I’m going to run figures for him to understand and for him to understand how prudent the administration of President Bola Tinubu is.”

In response to Umahi’s comment, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s special assistant on public communication, slammed Umahi for his comment and inability to provide figures regarding the road project.

Shaibu, who responded via X on Wednesday, April 10, wrote, “Why on earth does David Umahi need this number of days to cough up the price tag for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project? Oh, right, just to make sure those figures are nicely seasoned with ‘shaki’, ‘ponmo’ and other ‘orishirishi’ before serving them up.

“I mean, seriously, a minute should suffice to fish out the cost from that so-called ‘PPP’ pact with Hitech. But hey, who’s counting, right? Certainly not Umahi! 🙄 … @aonanuga1956, I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.”

Atiku has been a strong critic of President Tinubu’s policies, and this latest allegation about the coastal road project further heightens their feud in the aftermath of the 2023 presidential election.