Those Criticizing the Ongoing Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway Project Being  Done by  The Renewed Hope Administration Of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu  Either Have Little Knowledge of the Concept of EPC+F On Project Financing Or  Are Deliberately Sacrificing The Cause Of  Development  At The Altar Of Politics The trending posts of   criticisms by some notable  politicians on the propriety and priority of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project being executed  by the Renewed  Hope administration  of His Excellency President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR are no doubt baseless thoughts of critics who are either bereft of the knowledge of the workings of the project  initiative or they deliberately  want to sacrifice the modest developmental efforts  of Mr. President  at the altar of  their political ambitions. It is unthinkable  that such highly  placed people fail to understand  the various  elucidations provided  by the Honourable Minister  of Works,  His Excellency,  Sen Engr Nweze David Umahi CON  on when the project  was conceptualized, the various  administrations that attempted   but failed to carry out the project, the economic  and technical  considerations that gave rise to the commencement  of the project under the Renewed Hope administration, the funding  and procurement details  and indeed the dimensions, importance, priority and propriety of the projects  in the national developmental trajectory. For the avoidance  of doubt,  the Lagos- Calabar coastal highway  project is being done under EPC +F. What does this type of funding  entail? This is a project financing mechanism in which EPC+F contractors also arrange financing for the project. EPC+F is Engineering, Procurement  and Construction plus Financing. Engineering  here includes design and specification. This initiative provides  a fixed  price, fixed date, and transfers risks to the contractor. This type of funding requires only a counter- part funding  from the Federal Government. Such funds  are sourced  by contractors where they have confidence  in the  economic policies of government, which essentially entails  allowing  the participation of the private  sector  in the road infrastructure  development through  PPP or EPC+F.   In the recent  Inauguration  of the Committee  on Compensation  of owners of properties that will be affected  by section 1 of the Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway, the Honourable Minister emphasized the nature of the project funding  and the workings of EPC + F when he said, "And graciously, Mr. President had approved that this section three will start from Calabar, which is the end point of the project, and start running towards Akwa Ibom. So, the 700 km is procured  under phase one, in phases, and it's EPC +F. EPC+F is engineering, procurement, construction, and finance. And so, under this kind of arrangement, the contractor is expected to bring in a certain amount of money, and Federal Government is expected to pay certain counterpart funding." No patriotic  Nigerian  should discourage  this kind of project  where funding is substantially  from the contractor. There is no doubt  that Mr. President  is aggressively  tackling  the backlogs  of uncompleted  road projects. In the 2023  Supplementary Budget,  Mr. President  approved funds for intervention on the over 260 dilapidated roads nationwide.  The 2024 appropriation  made provision for capital  investment  on our critical  roads across  the 6 Geo- political  zones of Nigeria. The Honourable Minister  has already  made a great difference  in the road infrastructure development  roadmap of this administration through his new innovations on road construction  and rehabilitation, his power of supervision, and his contract negotiation power which  is second  to none in the history  of the Federal Ministry of Works. He has been touring around and supervising   the various  ongoing  projects  of the  federal government, and the difference  is already  there. The people  are testifying of the quality  and speed of road projects being  executed by the Renewed Hope administration. He has proven track records on road  infrastructure development.  He is not into rhetorics like many politicians who talk high but can do only less. The administration of President  Tinubu  is doing roads that will stand the test of time. The  roads he is fixing  will  facilitate economic  recovery.  The patriotic  Nigerians are already  applauding  the good efforts of Mr. Presidentt, but professional  politicians  are busy criticizing  a landmark  project  that will launch Nigeria into the league  of the best economies of the continent.  On the importance  of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project  to the economy  of the  nation, it is clear that the coastal highway, when completed, will foster national economic growth. Notably,  all roads in the country are  important as reflected by the interventions of this administration on road rehabilitation across the nation, but the coastal highway offers much more economic benefits to the nation because  of its connectivity  to the North  and South through  the existing spurs. The road, when completed, has the potential to increase Nigeria’s GDP and trigger industrialisation, create trade, enhance the  transportation  of goods and services, and  safety of road users.The road is going to be the biggest super highway in Africa in terms of the structure and solidity as we all as utility value, having ten lanes with a rail track designed for concrete technology, covering 700 kilometers. It is going to attract foreign direct  investment to Nigeria, and it is going to trigger economic development. It is going to develop the potential of our coastal businesses, especially  at the local economic corridors, and boost tourism and marine businesses.  ...

Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway: A Renowned Policy Analyst Describes Cost of Project as One of The Most Effective Project Figures in The World, Says Sen. Umahi's Negotiation Power is Second to None Blueprint Newspaper Written By Bode Olagoke A think tank body of policy analysts on the platform of the Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) Wednesday justified the N2.8trn to be expended on the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. The group said the cost of construction of the highway "is appropriate." It also faulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar's criticism of the project, saying there is enough proof to support the cost of the mega project. IMPI in a statement by its chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, in Abuja Wednesday said its study of the situation shows that all the claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate were off the mark and targeted at discrediting the project. The think tank group acknowledged the track record of the project handling firm in constructing coastal highways with reinforced concrete in many countries, citing the successful handling of the Bar Beach Shoreline protection. On Atiku's criticism of the cost of the project, the policy group insisted that a cost analysis of road projects similar to the Lagos-Calabar highway in some parts of the world show that the cost of the project was appropriate. The statement reads: "We note that there is no unified standard pricing template for the cost of building a kilometre of road anywhere in the world. The realities of road building have much to do with several variables: location, train, type of construction, number of terrain, lanes, lane width, surface durability, and the number of bridges, to name a few. "Yet, for engagement, we reviewed some cost estimates in some other countries to establish the context of fraud or otherwise that Waziri Abubakar is trying to throw up. "To build a 2-lane road of 12 metres wide of each lane with no bridges in states of North Eastern United States of America is $3.34m per km (when converted to Naira using the N1200/$ adopted by Umahi, it comes to N4.08bn per km) while the same 2-lane road in South Eastern USA with no bridges is $ 3.78m per km (N4.53bn per km) "According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the average cost of building a concrete road in rural areas is around $2.5m per mile, while in urban areas, it can costs upwards of $5m per mile. "In California, the estimated cost of building a concrete road ranges from $3 million to $6 million per mile, depending on the location and other factors. In Australia, average road project costs were around $5.1m (N6.12bn) per lane kilometre in 2017. "But in Bangladesh, according to the World Bank, the estimated cost of construction is $6.6m (N7.92bn) per kilometre for the Rangpur-Hatikumrul highway, $7m (N8.4bn) per kilometre for Dhaka-Sylhet highway, $11.9 million (N14.28 billion) per kilometre for Dhaka-Mawa highway. This underscores cost differentials in road construction because of peculiarities in terrains."   ...

Honourable Minister of Works Inaugurates Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Section 1 Compensation  Committee, Gives 10 Days Deadline  For Completion Of Assignment   1. In keeping with the established rules on compensation and the ideals of transparency of  the Renewed Hope administration of His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the Honourable  Minister  of Works, His Excellency Sen Engr Nweze David Umahi CON has constituted a committee  to review the  report on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in respect  of compensation for section 1, Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway project. The committee  made up of 19 members is required  to interface with stakeholders  and property owners that will  be affected by  the project with a view to recommending  those who are entitled to receive compensation from Federal Government  as required  by law.  The Honourable  Minister   directed  that the commitee should  work strictly  with the terms of reference, which is to verify  and authenticate the list of those to be compensated and submit a report within 10 days effective 18th April 2024. He said, "We are setting up a review committee to look at the work done by the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA,) and the works to be reviewed by this committee is very simple, and it's just to interact with the property owners that are going to be affected, and then in their presence, in the presence of the committee and the ESIA Consultant and the contractor, look at the compensation as enumerated to be paid, and where possible, you visit the site. We are using the federal rates to do our enumeration. I know very well that there is nobody that is ever enumerated that is ever satisfied with how much  is to be paid, but we are bound by the law, and so we are using federal rates." 2. The Honourable Minister  promised to ensure a seemless  and  timely  payment  of compensation on the Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway  project but warned that only those  legally  entitled  to compensation  would  be shortlisted. He said, "The moment the property owner signs, and then we have a form that we give to them to fill, and indicate the bank account; the moment that is done, within 72 hours, we authorize payment. The contractor is going to be paying directly to all those who are affected, and this we are committed to doing. This verification will  start Wednesday in Lagos, and of course, we have to make it very clear that 250 meters legally belong to the Federal Government. So if you have a title within these 250 meters and it's not a title from Federal Government, then it is encumbrance, and only Mr. President can give a waiver if he feels so for the person to be paid." 3. The meeting  which was held via zoom  in the Honourable Minister's conference  hall Mabushi-Abuja with the affected property  owners and other stakeholders, was in furtherance  of the resolutions earlier  reached in the stakeholders engagement  meeting held by the  Honourable Minister of Works  in Lagos on  11th April 2024 whereof opinions were ventilated from different  groups of stakeholders and decisions  were reached on the need for a review  of the report  on  the enumeration by the Consultant on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment  of the affected  areas. The committee members were constituted to reflect  the different  groups  of stakeholders,  including  Lagos State Government,  affected  Local Government  Areas  Traditional Rulers, estate developers  and residents, as well as professional  bodies. 4. The committee  members  are as follows:  1. Engr (Mrs) Olukorede Kesha (FCW, Lagos State)    -  Chairman 2. Rep. of Director, Bridges and Design.  -  Engr Oladele Sola 3. Rep of Honourable Minister of Works.  -  Barrister Joseph Ekumankama 4. Engr Olufemi Dare.  -   FMW, Lagos 5. ESIA Consultant.  -  Dr. Eugene Itua 6. Rep 1 ESIA.  -  Suv. Popoola Lateef 7. Rep 2 ESIA.   -   Emmanuel Eneh 8. Rep. of Oba Oniru.  -  Mr. Yemi Stephen. 9. Rep. of Oba Elegushi.  -   Mrs. Peju Omotayo 10. Rep. of Oba Ojomu of Ajiran land.  - Hon. Jide Akintoye 11. Rep of Oba Onibeju of Ibeju  -  Mr Agbaje Adesegun 12. Rep. of Eti Osa Local Government.   -   Adeola Adetoro 13. Rep. of Ibeju Lekki Local Government.  -  Hon. Moruf Isah 14. Olawale Ojikutu (Min of Lands, LASG)  -  Secretary 15. Rep. Of LASG Surveyor General.  -  Moyosore Faji 16. Rep. Min of Physical Planning LASG. - Kunle Bello 17. Rep 1 Hitech.     -       Mr. Willie 18. Rep 2 Hitech.     -      Mr. Ashton 19. Rep DLS.    -    Mrs Igboko   ...