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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to disclose the full cost of the Lagos-Calabar highway project.
Atiku, said in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, yesterday, said the federal government could not continue to keep silent on the cost of the project at a time Nigeria was still facing dire economic challenges.
The former Vice President had, in an earlier statement, queried the award of the contract to Hitech, allegedly without a competitive bidding. However, the Presidency, in its response, said the former demonstrated a poor understanding of the project.
Nevertheless, Atiku, in his latest statement said “The Tinubu administration cannot continue to respond to public inquiry with insults. They must come clean on this project because Nigerians deserve to know the truth.
“I, therefore, present six posers to the administration, How much is the total cost of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway?. Why is the project being funded by the Nigerian government despite being a PPP? Why is the project taking off from Chagoury’s Eko Atlantic?
Why is N1.06trilion being spent on the pilot phase, which is just 47km?Why did the N1.06trillion not get the approval of the National Assembly?Why wasn’t there a competitive bidding for the project?”
He also queried how the federal government got the “design as well as the right of way in just 7 months, since it claims the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari never touched the project? “
