Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has announced a substantial increase in the government’s compensation budget for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, raising the allocation from 8 billion naira to 18 billion naira.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement meeting on Sunday, November 3, held at Orchid Hall, Eko Hotel, Umahi addressed a gathering of government officials, National Assembly members, and key project stakeholders.
Umahi emphasized that the increased budget reflects the administration’s commitment to fairness and transparency for the communities affected by the project. “What the Federal Executive Council approved as recommended by the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) was 8 billion naira for this corridor—just section 1 alone. But today, we are looking at 18 billion naira,” he noted.
In an effort to foster public trust, Umahi pledged that all compensation details, including property valuations, would be made publicly accessible. “We’re going to publish everything for everyone to see—the name, the picture, the dimensions, and the cost. We are bound by the advice of the professionals we engaged. I am thrilled with the competence demonstrated by the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) team and our enumerators,” he said.
This high level of transparency, Umahi explained, is intended to reassure property owners and the public that the compensation allocations are both fair and thorough. He further promised that the compensation process would be carried out swiftly, with the aim to finalize payments within the next 10 days. “We’ve already initiated fifty percent of the payments, and I’ve directed that we shouldn’t delay approvals at the Federal Executive Council level, given the impact on people’s lives. If we are passing through these areas, residents need funds to relocate. Within the next ten days, we aim to complete 100 percent of the payments as outlined by our enumerators,” he affirmed.
Addressing any skepticism, Umahi urged stakeholders to ignore claims from “mischief makers,” assuring them that the transparency of the process would dispel any doubts. “There are mischief makers out there, but as soon as we start publishing these details, certain voices will have to quiet down,” he concluded.