The Federal government has asked the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to shelve the impending strike in the national interest and allow wisdom to prevail in all engagements to resolve its feud with the Dangote group.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, who made the appeal on behalf of the federal government, noted that such action would have a negative impact on the rebounding economy if allowed to escalate.
Special Adviser on Media to the Works Minister, Orji Uchenna Orji, said in a statement that Umahi made the remark when he paid inspection visits to Sections One and Two of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Lagos State yesterday, where he also commended the quality of work done by Hitech.
The statement read,”During the inspection dated 29th September 2025, the Honourable Minister, accompanied by a public affairs analyst and spokesperson to the 2019 Atiku presidential campaign organization, Segun Sowunmi; the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adebomehin; the Director, Highway Bridges and Design, Engr. Musa Saidu; and the Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Kesha, as well as some Civil Society groups, stated that the essence of his inspection visit to Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with important personalities across party lines was to give them the latitude to evaluate the quality and progress of work and appreciate what the President is doing in the works sector, so as to tell the story whether the projects are great investments for the future of Nigeria or the projects are not profitable.
“The Honourable Minister’s visit was also to re-verify the evaluation of the additional work of the contractor handling the project, Hitech Construction Company Ltd, as compiled by the Department of Roads and Bridges of the Federal Ministry of Works.
“The Honourable Minister commended very highly the pace and quality of work by the contractor. He attributed the success of the project and the solution proffered to some technical problems encountered in some sections of the project to excellence in performance and extraordinary commitment to national development by the contractor, noting that Hitech is set to build Nigeria’s biggest flyovers at the connecting point between Sections One and Two of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to resolve traffic conflicts along the highway.
“He urged members of the public not to listen to the antics and sensations of some content creators who, for lack of knowledge or deliberate mischief, had reported that the shoulders of the Coastal Highway project not yet protected amounted to construction failure. In another development, the Honourable Minister called upon the leadership of PENGASSAN to put the nation first and shelve their impending strike action over their disagreement with Dangote Group.
“He urged them to allow God’s wisdom to prevail in the efforts to resolve the matter, noting that such action would have a negative impact on the rebounding economy.”
Reacting to claims by Stella Okengwu of Winhome, that she invested about N50 million on a land that has been taken away from her by the Federal government and the government of Lagos, the minister challenged her to show evidence of investment on the land she claimed to have purchased in 2022 and to show any proof of approval to develop such land, let alone investing $250million.
“He noted that the Lagos State government had revoked the land to give the right of way to the federal government. He further challenged the said diaspora investor to disclose where the said money was invested if not a rickety gate that was erected on the land, for which the federal government had offered her monetary compensation. He urged the self-acclaimed investor to, without further delay, declare the US$250m he claimed to have collected from the diaspora investors or submit herself to investigation by Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies.
“The Civil Societies group, who had participated in a protest against the federal government on behalf of the said CEC of Winhome, also spoke to condemn and denounce the false claims of the woman.
“In his comment after the project inspection, the spokesperson to the Atiku presidential campaign organization described the work done by Hitech as a masterpiece and praised the vision of Mr. President in building the Renewed Hope legacy road projects, describing it as a desirable roadmap to the transformation of Nigeria’s economic landscape. He charged Nigerians to look beyond politics and support any government programme that would guarantee the future of the citizenry.
“He said that Mr. President is building consensus around national development, and that as opposition, he was ready to converse on behalf of Nigerians. He noted that a takeaway conversation is that a nation at 65 must be in a hurry to get deserving infrastructural linkages like other advanced nations of the world.
“Others who spoke on the method statements of the project being inspected included: the Managing Director of Hitech Construction Company Ltd, Mr. Dany Abboud; the Director, Highway Bridge and Design; and the Federal Controller of Works.”
- Media Report