NEWS
Umahi’s Terrain Admission Vindicates My Position on Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Says Donald Duke
Former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has renewed his criticism of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, insisting that recent comments by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, about the challenging terrain have strengthened his long-held position on the controversial infrastructure project.
Duke questioned the viability and justification of describing the project as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, arguing that the ongoing construction does not adequately support the impression that the road will extend all the way to Calabar, Cross River State.
According to the former governor, the project is essentially a Lagos Coastal Highway that may never reach its advertised destination in Calabar, raising fresh questions about its scope, route and long-term benefits to the coastal communities it is expected to serve.
He maintained that the geographical and environmental conditions of some coastal areas present significant engineering and financial challenges that could make the construction of the highway prohibitively expensive.
Duke pointed to Bayelsa State as an example of an area where road construction is possible but could come at an exceptionally high cost because of the nature of the terrain. He argued that these realities should be carefully considered when assessing the feasibility and overall value of a coastal highway intended to connect Lagos with Calabar.
The former governor further alleged that the section of the project stretching from Victoria Island to Epe in Lagos State was more of a land-grabbing scheme than a genuine effort to deliver the promised coastal transportation corridor.
His remarks have brought renewed attention to the debate surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, one of the Federal Government’s major infrastructure projects, which has attracted considerable public discussion over its cost, alignment, environmental implications and expected economic benefits.
While supporters of the project have presented it as a transformative transport corridor capable of improving connectivity, stimulating commerce and opening up coastal communities, critics have continued to question its implementation, funding priorities and the extent to which it will benefit the states along the proposed route.
Duke’s latest position underscores the need for greater clarity regarding the project’s eventual reach, particularly its proposed connection to Calabar, and whether the engineering and financial challenges associated with coastal construction could affect the government’s ability to deliver the entire corridor as envisaged.
The controversy is likely to persist as Nigerians continue to demand transparency, accountability and clear evidence of the long-term benefits of major public infrastru
cture investments.