Works Ministry budgets N10b mainly for litigation over federal road projects
A total N10 billion has been budgeted in 2025 by the Ministry of Works, split equally for legal fees (N5 billion) and court judgment debts (N5 billion), arising mainly from litigation over federal road projects.
The amount, contained in this year’s budget for the ministry, may be connected with the ongoing four road projects connecting the six geopolitical zones.
One is the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway which has been faced with a series of lawsuits following the demolition of structures on the corridor.
Works Minister Dave Umahi disclosed in August 2024 that there were more than six court cases against the highway but gave an assurance that the federal government would not be deterred.
Said he: “That is the beauty of democracy and under the guise of democracy we have some fraudulent individuals who want to rip where they did not sow. We have not just one court case, we have over six but we are equal to the task.
“They want to socket their pipes and that is all that they are doing. We are paying compensation, we are following the gazetted right of way, we are following the corridor that is legally allowed for federal government so we don’t know why they are taking to court.
“We have ESIA [Environmental Survey Impact Assessment] certificate on the project and the project is listed in the 2023 supplementary budget.”
The federal government also budgeted N100,000,000 for the Trans Sahara Superhighway spanning Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa to Apo in Abuja. Badagry-Sokoto Highway construction got 100,000,000.
Up to $13 billion is reportedly earmarked for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, and another N100,000,000 for the Lagos-Port Harcourt Coastal Highway project, which is non-existent, according to reporting by Leadership.
Works Ministry Information Director Mohammed Ahmed insisted that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is captured in the budget under the four legacy projects, but did not state exactly where it is listed in the document.
– Leadership.
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