The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to realign part of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the existing East-West Road, describing the development as a disturbing indictment of the government’s infrastructure planning and accountability.

HURIWA said Works Minister David Umahi’s explanation that the realignment was necessary to address flooding and climate change had raised fundamental questions about the quality of the feasibility studies, engineering assessments and environmental evaluations conducted before the project was launched.

The association described the development as a potential national embarrassment, questioning why climate risks that should have been central to the original design were now being presented as a major justification for changing the route.

“How does a government embark on a multibillion-naira coastal highway project without adequately resolving fundamental questions about flooding, environmental risks and the most suitable route? Who approved the original plans, and who will take responsibility if avoidable errors are established?” HURIWA asked.

The association said Nigerians must not be expected to celebrate every change in project direction as a presidential achievement without first examining the reasons for the change, its financial implications and the consequences for the original project design.

HURIWA said Umahi’s disclosure that sections of the existing East-West Road would need to be raised by about two metres to address flooding exposed serious questions about whether the project’s environmental realities were adequately considered from the outset.

The minister had explained that President Bola Tinubu approved the use of the existing East-West Road for the stretch running from the Ondo State boundary into Edo State, rather than continuing with a new coastal alignment along that section.

Umahi also put the distance across the affected corridor at approximately 104 kilometres, including a proposed 45-kilometre bypass.

For HURIWA, the critical issue is not whether an existing road can be upgraded or a bypass constructed. It is whether the government conducted the necessary technical assessments before committing public resources to the original alignment.

“This is not a minor adjustment to a village access road. We are talking about one of the Federal Government’s flagship infrastructure projects. Nigerians deserve to know whether this change is the product of responsible engineering review or evidence of serious weaknesses in the original planning process,” the association said.

HURIWA warned that the government must not use climate change as a convenient explanation to avoid scrutiny of decisions taken before construction began.

While acknowledging that new technical information can legitimately require adjustments to major infrastructure projects, the association insisted that the government must demonstrate, with verifiable evidence, why the change became necessary and whether the risks could reasonably have been anticipated.

The association demanded that the Ministry of Works publish relevant feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments, engineering reports and documents explaining the revised alignment, subject to applicable legal and commercial restrictions.

It also called for disclosure of the financial implications of the change, including whether the realignment would increase or reduce project costs, affect contractual commitments or delay completion.

HURIWA urged the National Assembly to summon Umahi and relevant project officials to explain the circumstances surrounding the decision and establish whether due diligence was observed at every stage.

The association further demanded an independent technical and financial review to determine whether the original alignment was adequately assessed and whether public funds could be exposed to avoidable additional expenditure.

“If this government is serious about accountability, it cannot turn every presidential decision into a public relations victory while leaving taxpayers in the dark about the engineering and financial realities behind it,” HURIWA said.

The association added that any finding of negligence, professional misconduct or avoidable waste should attract appropriate sanctions, including disciplinary action against responsible officials and the removal of the minister where the evidence and applicable procedures justify such a measure.

HURIWA said the controversy also raised broader concerns about the tendency to announce ambitious infrastructure projects before Nigerians receive sufficient information about their technical foundations, financing arrangements, implementation risks and long-term sustainability.

It stressed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway must not become a project in which political visibility takes precedence over engineering discipline, environmental responsibility and value for public money.

“Nigeria is not a private estate, and public infrastructure is not a favour dispensed by political officeholders. Every major project must be properly conceived, transparently executed and open to scrutiny. If the original planning was deficient, Nigerians deserve the truth, not political applause for correcting a problem that should never have arisen,” the association said.

HURIWA maintained that the Federal Government owes Nigerians a detailed explanation of the realignment and must establish whether it represents a sound engineering decision, a necessary response to new information or a correction of shortcomings in the original project planning.

The association said accountability must follow the evidence, insisting that neither the President nor the Minister of Works should be shielded from legitimate public scrutiny over a project involving substantial public resources.