HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for a forensic audit of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project.
The group expressed concern over the disclosure by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is costing Nigerian taxpayers an average of N7.5 billion per kilometre.
HURIWA condemned what it described as a reckless, opaque and dangerously inflated spending regime being executed under the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu while millions of Nigerians grapple with poverty, unemployment, rising inflation, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
“At a time when citizens can barely survive rising food prices, unaffordable transportation costs, astronomical electricity tariffs and a collapsing naira, this government is asking Nigerians to quietly accept a road project allegedly costing N7.5 billion for every kilometre constructed.
“This is unacceptable. This is morally offensive. This is economically provocative. And this demands immediate independent international scrutiny,” the group stated.
HURIWA called on patriotic institutions and civic organisations, including the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Labour Congress, civil society groups, anti-corruption coalitions, engineers, economists, procurement experts, development partners and transparency advocates to form a national accountability coalition to subject the project to a comprehensive forensic audit.
According to the group, such an audit should include full disclosure of procurement processes, engineering valuation reports, project financing agreements, loan procurement structures, environmental impact assessments, tolling concessions and revenue projections.
Other areas listed for scrutiny include compensation and land acquisition costs, identities of contractors, consultants and financial beneficiaries, as well as comparative cost analysis with similar highway projects globally.
HURIWA insisted that the Freedom of Information Act should be invoked to compel the release of all contractual and financial documents linked to the project.
The group argued that Nigerians should not be treated as spectators while public resources allegedly disappear behind what it termed grandiose infrastructure propaganda.
It further noted that countries such as China, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and the United States routinely execute major highway projects at comparatively lower costs despite deploying advanced technology, stricter safety systems and more transparent procurement frameworks.
The organisation also warned that Nigerians are increasingly concerned that large-scale public borrowing, opaque infrastructure financing and aggressive project announcements could be tied to broader political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.
HURIWA maintained that unchecked public spending without transparent oversight could create conditions for institutional compromise, political patronage and abuse of state resources.
The group therefore called on the National Assembly of Nigeria to commence public investigative hearings, while urging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to monitor financial flows linked to the project.
It also asked the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to independently review procurement compliance, while professional engineering bodies should conduct technical evaluations and international anti-corruption institutions monitor the project’s financing structure.
HURIWA further demanded that all future disbursements connected to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be suspended pending an independent forensic review and public accountability hearings.
“No democracy can survive when citizens are denied transparency over projects funded with borrowed public money that future generations will repay,” the group added.
