UMAHI WAVES OFF VIRAL VIDEO OF LAGOS-CALABAR HIGHWAY. .... Says "It's An Attempt By Mischievous Persons Seeking To Discredit Tinubu's Renewed Hope Infrastructural Agenda."

"The said video about the Highway involves a portion of the road that is still under going construction and is yet to be completed." Minister of Works, Umahi 

Following the viral video that trended earlier this week on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Nigeria's Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi on Wednesday urged Nigerians to disregard the video describing it as an attempt by mischievous persons seeking to discredit the Renewed Hope Infrastructural agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Minister stated this when he addressed journalists at the Ministry’s headquarters, Mabushi, Abuja. He noted that the said video about the Highway involves a portion of the road that is still under going construction and is yet to be completed.

According to Umahi, “This is a project nigerians need to be proud of. There is nothing wrong with that section of the road and, it is important to state here that it has not been completed.

“Section one of the road is 47 kilometers by six; you have the service lanes, you have the main carriageway, you have the shoulder. So, where you notice the crack is the sand filled section of the shoulder.”

The Minister of Works pointed out that, “The shoulder is not the carriageway. The stone base where we are are presently, we have to put the underground drainage. People even say there is no drainage there. We did an underground drainage running 750 kilometers by two. We didn’t build below our road level, because we took our road level bearing in mind, the water level of the coast and you can’t blame us for doing that.

“Like I have previously stated, there will be another contractor that will take care of the environment, and it’s going to be a conversation between the Lagos state government and federal government. The service lanes will be introduced and then the drainage will be at a lower level, and then we will find a way to connect it to the existing underground drainage”.

Engr Umahi therefore reiterated that what is being described as a structural failure, is incorrect pointing out that some Nigerians are quick to wear the toga of engineers.

He therefore urged the Nigerian public to disregard the video circulating on social media assuring that work is ongoing.

“There is no section of the completed carriageway that has cracked, and it will not crack. This very important”. He stated.

Speaking on the ongoing repairs of the Benin-Sapele-Warri Road, the Minister commended the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo for the intervention works being carried out on the road. 

According to Umahi, Governor Okpebholo does not distinguish between state roads and federal roads as he has exhibited a strong passion to see that the people don't have to go through hardship while driving on the roads.