Niger Delta Leaders Back Tinubu’s Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

Prominent Niger Delta leaders have thrown their weight behind the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, dismissing criticism of the initiative by former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, Donald Duke.

The leaders, including the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Dr Boladei Igali; immediate past President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof Benjamin Okaba; former President of the Ijaw Youths Council Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri; National Secretary of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, Sir Amorighoye Mene; and Cross River State Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Edet Effiom, described the coastal highway as a strategic project capable of transforming the region.

Duke had, during a television interview, expressed doubts about the Federal Government’s ability to finance the project, arguing that the highway might not extend beyond Epe in Lagos State.

However, Okaba described Duke’s position as “executive speculation,” urging Nigerians to give the Federal Government an opportunity to complete the project.

According to him, the progress recorded on different sections of the highway contradicts claims that the project would stop at Epe.

“The coastal road is a wonderful project. For me, it is a signature project of this administration,” Okaba said.

He, however, urged the government to treat the criticisms surrounding the project as a challenge and ensure that the highway is completed.

Igali also expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to extending the highway to Calabar.

“President Tinubu has told us that the coastal road will not stop at Epe; that it will come right to Calabar,” he said, adding that the Niger Delta had consistently demanded a coastal road linking the region’s coastal communities.

Igali said previous administrations failed to deliver the project despite longstanding demands from stakeholders in the region.

He urged the Federal Government to ensure that the highway covers all the littoral states, while also calling for a review of the geophysical studies and environmental impact assessment of the project.

According to him, recent flooding in Lagos during the rainy season has highlighted the need for more extensive environmental and geophysical assessments before construction progresses into other coastal areas.

Igali also raised concerns about the project’s funding and the capacity of a single contractor to deliver such a large-scale project within the stipulated timeframe.

Mene, in his reaction, described Duke’s criticism as unfortunate and urged the former governor not to compare the coastal highway with the Tinapa project initiated during his administration in Cross River State.

He said the coastal highway was a laudable initiative that would open up the South-South region and urged the Federal Government to remain committed to completing it.

Eradiri, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, also rejected Duke’s assessment, saying work was progressing on several sections of the highway.

He disclosed that he had personally visited sections of the project in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, where he said construction activities were ongoing.

Eradiri said work had also progressed beyond Epe, extending towards Ondo State, while construction activities were ongoing in other parts of the coastal corridor.

He described the highway as one of the administration’s major infrastructure projects and urged Nigerians to acknowledge areas where the government was making progress.

Meanwhile, Effiom expressed confidence that the project could be completed if the Federal Government sustained its current momentum.

He described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a bold national infrastructure project with the potential to transform transportation, trade, tourism and economic development along Nigeria’s coastal corridor.

Effiom acknowledged that a project of such magnitude would face funding and implementation challenges but said it remained achievable with sustained commitment, transparency and consistent funding.

He urged the Federal Government to maintain continuity in the project regardless of political changes, stressing that its completion would improve connectivity, create jobs and attract investment to Cross River State and the wider South-South region.