An analysis of FEC decisions between October 2023 and November 2025, as revealed by the Ministry of Works, showed that the Tinubu administration approved variations for at least 30 inherited road and bridge contracts nationwide.
These include high-profile projects such as the Abuja-Kano Expressway, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Benin-Warri dual carriageway, and the Bodo-Bonny Road.
A contract variation occurs when the original scope, cost, or timeline of a project is altered after the contract has been awarded.
This often happens due to a mix of hyperinflation, currency devaluation, and design changes driven by material costs, design flaws, or site complications.
On September 17, 2023, Umahi announced that the Tinubu administration “inherited a total of 2,604 projects worth N14tn.”
The portfolio included projects initiated under President Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan and even earlier regimes.
Many were abandoned, underfunded, or designed with outdated cost templates.
On November 28, 2023, the Council approved N260.1bn as additional funding for the reconstruction of the 375.9km Abuja-Kano Expressway. This was an increase from the initial N155bn approved by the previous administration.
Umahi told journalists, “The cost was reviewed due to design changes, inflation, and the need to fast-track delivery using concrete technology.”
Just a week earlier, on November 22, FEC approved N40bn for remedial works on the Third Mainland Bridge. This came despite ongoing maintenance previously awarded under the Buhari administration.
It became necessary to address new defects and ensure structural safety,” Umahi had said.
In October of that year, the government approved another N95.2bn for Section 2 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Though new, the approval followed a redesign of the original right of way, which forced a cost increase.
On April 3, 2024, Umahi also announced the Council’s approval of N129.8bn as a variation in the contract sum of the Bodo-Bonny Road and Bridge. Shell and the Federal Government began the project in 2016.
According to him, “We had to review the scope, adjust for price fluctuations, and accommodate new bridge elements. The contractor now has 24 months to complete it.”
Similarly, on July 12, 2024, the Council approved a revised contract cost of N54bn for the Kano Western Bypass. The project was first awarded in 2012, but the contractor sought a review citing delays and inflationary pressures.
On July 29, 2024, FEC approved N1.455tn for 13 old projects. These included the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene Road, which was reviewed from N50bn to N79bn, and the Enugu-Port Harcourt Road, started four years prior, which rose from N63bn to N83bn. The last section of the Ikot-Ekpene Road from Akwa Ibom was also reviewed from N54bn to N90bn.
By September 25, 2024, Umahi announced another N68bn variation for the dualisation of the Benin-Warri highway.
0 Comments