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A tense moment occurred on Arise Television on Friday when the Minister of Works, David Umahi, told programme anchor Ojy Okpe, ‘let me educate you’.

The exchange took place during an exclusive interview focused on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

Okpe had questioned the minister about concerns that the construction of the highway was contributing to flooding in some communities in Lagos.

Umahi interrupted to argue that many Nigerians commenting on the project lacked an understanding of the engineering principles involved.

“Let me educate you, Ojy Okpe. The coastal highway is not flooded and will never get flooded,” Umahi said.

The minister explained that several homes along the highway corridor were constructed about 50 years ago below the flood level, at a time when climate change was not a major concern. He noted that the area lies between the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other.

He said the highway was deliberately elevated above the flood level to prevent water from flowing into nearby residential communities.

“The houses were built below the flood level. When we did our study, we found that we needed to raise the coastal highway above the flood level and that is what happened,” he said.

Umahi further stated that the road was designed with about 10 separate evacuation channels and several culverts to direct water into the lagoon, rejecting suggestions that the project was responsible for the flooding.

He maintained that flooding had affected the area even before construction of the coastal highway began.

“Before the construction of the coastal highway, was there flooding within that area? The answer is yes. The coastal highway has nothing to do with flooding,” he added.

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