By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Peter Obi Media Office (POMR) has renewed calls for transparency over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, demanding an independent audit and a full account of public funds spent following questions surrounding the project’s scope and reported truncation.

The office made its position known in a statement dated October 13, 2026, signed by its spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, in which it revisited former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s earlier criticism of the government’s infrastructure priorities.

POMR said Obi had urged the government to prioritise the rehabilitation of deteriorating roads in Nigeria’s hinterland before embarking on the ambitious coastal highway, arguing that public resources should be directed towards projects with the greatest benefit to the population.

According to the office, Works Minister Dave Umahi responded to Obi’s position by attacking him rather than addressing the concerns raised about the project.

With questions now emerging over the highway’s scope and reported truncation, POMR said Nigerians deserved explanations about the project’s expenditure, progress and decision-making process.

“How much money has been spent? What has been completed? Who approved any alterations, and who will be held responsible for any waste or mismanagement established by the evidence?” the statement asked.

The media office maintained that its principal’s position was not opposition to infrastructure development but a call for responsible spending, proper prioritisation and value for money.

“Public projects are not political advertisements, and public funds are not private property,” POMR stated, insisting that Nigerians deserved transparency and a clear account of the project’s present status.

It called for an independent audit to establish how much had been spent, what had been achieved and whether any alterations to the project had resulted in waste or mismanagement.

The organisation also criticised what it described as the tendency to portray scrutiny of government projects as political attacks, arguing that accountability should be treated as an obligation.

“The government must stop portraying legitimate scrutiny as an attack and begin recognising accountability as an obligation,” the statement added.

POMR further questioned why Obi had been attacked for raising concerns about public spending, saying the issues he highlighted still required answers.

“The central question persists: why target the messenger when the message calls for answers?” the office asked.

It concluded by insisting that transparency in the management of public resources would be a key requirement in the Nigeria it hopes to see.

“In a new Nigeria that is Possible and OK, transparency regarding public wealth will be mandatory,” the statement said.

The statement did not provide figures on the amount spent on the coastal highway or details of the reported truncation. It called on the government to provide a clear account of the project and submit its spending and implementation to independent scrutiny.