Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has dismissed claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu handpicked the contractor for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, insisting that the selection process was fair and transparent.
During an inspection tour of the project in Lagos on Saturday, Umahi defended the federal government’s decision to award the contract to Hitech Construction Company Ltd., stressing that Tinubu played no role in choosing the firm.
“I want to say that there is no corruption in it. It is very transparent,” Umahi stated.
Defending the Procurement Process
Responding to criticism that the project did not undergo a competitive bidding process, Umahi clarified that Nigerian procurement law allows for three types of bidding: restrictive, selective/competitive, and open bidding.
“When we started this project, we asked for companies with at least five concrete pavers. Before now, this equipment was not common in Nigeria,” he explained.
According to him, Hitech was chosen because of its track record, particularly its successful reconstruction of the Oworonshoki-Apapa Road.
“We saw that they got it right, so we engaged them for Section 1,” Umahi said.
He further explained that the restrictive bidding process used was approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Bidding Opened for More Sections
Umahi revealed that as more companies began acquiring the required equipment, the government opened up Section 2 of the highway to selective bidding, where Hitech emerged as the winner. The same procedure, he added, was followed for Sections 3A and 3B.
“We have not gone outside the law, we have not gone outside the Procurement Act,” he maintained.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is expected to enhance connectivity along Nigeria’s coastal corridor and boost economic development in the region.
