**As Umahi assures of commissioning of first 30 kilometres May 29
The Federal Government has secured funding for the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal highway through an Engineering Procurement Construction and Financing (EPC+F) agreement with Hitech Construction Company Nig. Ltd, it emerged on Tuesday.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, said the move aligns with the government’s roadmap for sustainable funding of key legacy projects aimed at driving economic growth.
The first 30 kilometers of the project, Phase 1, Section 1, will be completed before May 29, the Minister announced recently.
The Minister also revealed that the flag off of the construction of Sections 3A and B of the highway in Calabar was imminent.
In a statement on Tuesday by Uchenna Orji
Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister, the agreement that was signed in Abuja on Tuesday by the Federal Ministry of Works the EPC+F contract component of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project with Messrs. Hitech Construction Company Nig. Ltd.
The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, who signed on behalf of the Federal Government alongside Hitech Construction Ltd’s Managing Director, Dany Abboud, emphasized that the agreement was executed in full compliance with the law.
After receiving the document from the Permanent Secretary, the Minister expressed gratitude to God for the legacy project, noting that it had been President Bola Tinubu’s long-held vision, now coming to fruition under the Renewed Hope administration.
He said: “We’re very grateful to God Almighty for this project that Mr. President initiated. A dream of about 27 years back is made fresh before us, and we are fortunate to be part of this wonderful, evolving, mega project, biggest ever known in Africa- the Lagos-Calabar Superhighway.
“So today, we have signed the EPC+F contract, which is Engineering, Procurement, Construction plus Finance.”
Highlighting the significance of the agreement, he noted that the key achievement was fulfilling the F component of the EPC+F model, noting that by signing the contract, the Federal Ministry of Finance is enabling the contractor to attract foreign investment into the project.
“The Federal government commitment is 30% counterpart funding, which the President is fulfilling and now there is a foreign component of the project, that is, foreign financing that will come in, it’s going to fast track the performance of this project.
“I’m happy with the performance of Hitech, with the quality of work they are doing and the speed of work.
“If not for settlement of a very high fee, we would have been able to commission the entire first section within one year of the project, even though it is for 36 months,” the Minister said.
Commending Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to making the project a reality, he said, “It is a very wonderful thing to witness this and to be part of it.
“We will continue to pray for Mr. President, we will continue to support him, and we must continue to say that given the two tenures of Mr. President, Nigerians are assured that the entire 750 kilometers will be fully achieved before Mr. President leaves office at the end of his two tenors. And God, who started this, is going to get it completed”.
Commending Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to making the project a reality, he said, “It is a very wonderful thing to witness this and to be part of it.
“We will continue to pray for Mr. President, we will continue to support him, and we must continue to say that given the two tenures of Mr. President, Nigerians are assured that the entire 750 kilometers will be fully achieved before Mr. President leaves office at the end of his two tenors. And God, who started this, is going to get it completed”.
