Atiku Demands Release Of Lagos-Calabar Highway Contract, Payment Records

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded that the federal government make public contract documents and payment records for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.

Naija News reports that Atiku made the demand in a statement issued on Monday by his director of strategic communication for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign council, Phrank Shaibu.

His demand follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive to reroute sections of the project through the existing East-West road.

The ADC presidential candidate alleged that the government could be preparing to seek additional borrowing to fund payments connected to the coastal highway.

He argued that the route changes had raised questions about the original contract, payments already made and the financial implications of the revised alignment.

“Publish the proposed loan, the contract it would finance and the record of what has already been paid. If no such request exists, say so plainly and on the record,” he said.

Atiku linked the controversy to the administration’s removal of the petrol subsidy, stating that Nigerians should not bear the cost of additional borrowing without access to the relevant project accounts.

He removed the petrol subsidy without protecting Nigerians from the blow. Families are still paying for that decision every day.”

“Now, his government has put a coastal highway plan before Nigerians in the budget, changed parts of it midway and, according to the intelligence we have received, may be preparing to ask the country to borrow billions more.

“Nigerians have suffered enough from this government’s trial and error. They cannot be made to pay for another changed promise without seeing the accounts.

“If work on the original route will no longer be done, what has been removed from the contract? How much has already been paid? What is the revised price? You cannot change the work and refuse to change the bill,” he said.

Atiku demanded the publication of the original feasibility and environmental studies, route maps, bills of quantities, contract variations, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) approvals, payment certificates and any borrowing proposals related to the highway.

He also called for a public hearing before the national assembly considers any additional financing for the project.

Atiku described the reported route changes and possible additional borrowing as examples of what he described as policy inconsistency under Tinubu’s administration.

He said the government should account for the financial implications of any project changes rather than expect Nigerians to bear additional costs without adequate scrutiny.