Atiku spoke in a statement on Monday.
DAILY POST reports that the Minister of Works, David Umahi,
said in a statement that President Bola Tinubu had approved the rerouting of
the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway through the existing East-West Road, from
Ondo State into Edo State.
This comes amid reports that the Presidency is pressuring
the National Assembly to approve a fresh $20 billion loan in connection with
the project.
Reacting, Atiku said Tinubu’s government must address
concerns over intelligence suggesting that a loan of up to $20 billion was
being proposed.
“Tinubu sold Nigerians a coastal highway. Now his Minister
says parts of it will follow an existing road inland. That is not a minor
adjustment to a drawing. It strikes at the promise used to sell this enormous
project. When the route changes, the price must be opened. When the work
changes, the payments must be explained.
“What kind of government boasts about a coastal highway
before it can defend the route? Did Tinubu’s team study the swamps, bridges and
flood risks before awarding the contract, or did it sign first and start
thinking later? Minister David Umahi should stop offering engineering
explanations without the engineering documents. Publish the original studies.
Publish the revised design. Let Nigerians see what this government knew and
when it knew it.”
Atiku said the development bore the familiar hallmarks of
Tinubu’s “Yahoo-Yahoo” style of government: a grand announcement, a changed
promise and a bill the public was forbidden to inspect.
“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.
“Tinubu must answer this himself. Is a US$20 billion request
being prepared for the National Assembly? Is any part of that money meant for
Hitech? What contract, what section of road and what certified work would
justify the payment? Do not hide a contractor’s bill inside a national
borrowing request. 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,” Atiku stated.
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has reacted to reports of an alleged fallout between him and Serah Ibrahim, a prominent grassroots mobilizer of the Obidient Movement.
A member of the House of Representatives, Kafilat Ogbara,
has attracted attention after refusing to shake hands with Mayor Dele Oshinowo,
who defeated her in the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary for Kosofe
Federal Constituency.
The Federal Government can no longer continue to bear the cost of electricity tariff shortfalls while also being expected to provide power to every Nigerian, Power Minister Joseph Tegbe has said.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reacted to reports of reductions in transportation fares in parts of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, following the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas, CNG-powered buses.
Sunday Dare, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and public communications, has defended the administration’s 30-day petrol price discount.
Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, former Jigawa State Governor Abubakar Badaru, former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, and several other ex-governors and ministers on Monday held closed-door talks with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Association of Ebonyi Indigenes Socio-Cultural in the Diaspora (AEISCID) has given Minister of Works David Umahi 72 hours to retract recent remarks and apologise or face legal action.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for the ongoing federal road projects in the South-East.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has approved enhanced welfare packages for public servants, including upward reviews of housing and car loan ceilings, an increase in Duty Tour Allowance (DTA), and an additional ₦500 million seed fund for the state’s car and housing loan schemes.
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