The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to investigate the procurement process involved in awarding the contract for the ₦15 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal road project, News About Nigeria reports.
The motion, moved by Honourable Austin Achado on Thursday, was deemed a matter of urgent national importance.
The House stated that the procurement process appeared to have violated the 2007 Procurement Act, with certain approvals by the National Assembly, as required by law, allegedly not obtained.
In response, the House has requested key government officials, including the Minister of Works, Minister of Finance, Attorney General, and Minister of Justice, to provide copies of the documents pertaining to the contract award to the National Assembly.
This decision by the House follows recent developments involving the project, notably the demolition of buildings and structures along the right of way.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, disclosed that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road is estimated to cost ₦4 billion per kilometre.
The ambitious 700-kilometre project is designed to link Lagos to Cross River, traversing Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before reaching its destination in Cross River.
Meanwhile, the project has faced criticism from various quarters.
Notably, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, labelled it a misplaced priority by the Federal Government.
He stated that embarking on the project would result in a loss of jobs for many Nigerians, adding to the already teeming rate of unemployment in the country.
Additionally, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar denounced the project as fraudulent.
