Responding to remarks made by former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke during a television interview—where Duke questioned the project’s viability beyond Lagos and its status as a priority—Umahi maintained that President Bola Tinubu remains fully committed to delivering the infrastructure as scheduled.

Highlighting the project’s current progress across multiple sections, Umahi noted significant milestones:

• Section 1: Completed (7.47 km from Victoria Island to Elepe village).

• Section 2: Approximately 70% complete (spanning about 50 km from Lagos to the Ogun border).

• Sections 3A & 3B: Roughly 30% complete (covering about 67 km).

• Section 4 & Beyond: Active works and design stages extending through Ogun, Ondo (covering about 82 km), Akwa Ibom (the longest section at roughly 180 km), and continuing toward Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta states.

While praising Duke as a brilliant gentleman who avoided insults during his critique, Umahi firmly rejected the notion that the highway would stall or fail to materialize, crediting the administration’s determination to overcome past funding hurdles.

• Call for Prosecution: Following a directive issued by President Tinubu 30 days prior, ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu announced that the anti-corruption agency has recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi.

• Findings of Forgery: Preliminary investigations revealed that Adeyemi’s appointment was never authorized by the Federal Government, and the accompanying appointment letters, gazettes, and establishment documents were entirely forged.

• Unlawful Occupancy and Scope Expansion: The syndicate reportedly commandeered the former offices and official instruments of the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and later altered the fake entity’s name to encompass revenue generation.

• Additional Fictitious Bodies: Investigators uncovered two other purported government bodies—the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency—linked to Adeyemi’s operations, which were allegedly utilized to open unauthorized bank accounts.

• Further Recommendations: Alongside prosecuting Adeyemi, the ICPC advised disciplinary measures for public officials who may have inadvertently facilitated the operation, alongside institutional reforms to tighten internal verification controls, with investigations remaining ongoing.