In a statement on Wednesday through his media aide Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said right from the moment the project was announced, he had expressed concern about its exorbitant cost, which he claimed amounted to ₦8 billion per kilometre.
He noted that at the time the Minister of Works, David Umahi, dismissed the claim. “The same minister has now done a volte-face and admitted that the actual cost is indeed closer to ₦8 billion per kilometre,” Atiku pointed out.
Atiku argued that the development bolsters his persistent calls for due process, competitive bidding, and openness in all significant public undertakings, adding that “every inflated contract represents theft from the Nigerian people.”
The former vice president urged the Tinubu administration to disclose the complete contractual information, encompassing funding terms and counterpart commitments, and to subject the project to an impartial value-for-money audit.
