Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has faulted the criticism of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project by former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke.
Key Highlights
- Governor Diri faults Donald Duke’s claim that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway cannot pass through Bayelsa’s swamps.
- Diri says his administration has built roads and bridges across swamps and mangroves.
- He cites the Nembe-Brass, Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge and Yenagoa-Oporoma roads as examples.
- The 750km highway traverses nine coastal states.
- Diri cautions against politicising development during election seasons.
It would be recalled that Mr. Duke had said in an interview on Arise Television that the project is an impossibility due to swampy terrain along its path.
The 750km highway project being constructed by the federal government traverses nine coastal states, including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.
Duke is quoted to have insisted that “the Lagos-Calabar Road is unbuildable. You cannot even go through Bayelsa. Bayelsa is swamp.
“Even Yenagoa, the capital, is swamp. You will probably have to build about 100 or 200 bridges to go through those swamps.”
Diri: Duke’s Criticism Political
However, responding to Duke’s criticism, the Bayelsa State governor in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah on Wednesday, expressed disappointment that a former governor of a South-South state would criticise the project due to politics and not based on facts or reality.
Governor Diri said Duke’s reference to Bayelsa State and its difficult swampy terrain is out of sync with the reality about development in the state.
Diri contended that if Duke is in tune with happenings in the state, where his administration had built roads and bridges across swamps and the mangroves, he would have known that the coastal road project is possible.
“I have seen the trending video clip of the former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, on an Arise Television programme.
“To say the least, I feel disappointed that former Governor Duke, who is from our region, made such comment. Clearly, he is not abreast of current developments in road construction and infrastructure development in our state.
“I want to believe that his criticism had political colourations and he did not consider the significance of a such a project to our region.
Roads Built Through Swamps
“In Bayelsa, we have successfully constructed dual carriage roads and bridges in similar terrain and our state is better for it.
“The Nembe-Brass Road, the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge Road, and the Yenagoa-Oporoma Road, which are major causeways in our three senatorial districts, are all in swampy terrain.
“Ditto for the 630-metre bridge across River Nun at Angiama community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, which is one of the longest in the region.
“Dualised roads in the New Yenagoa City, the dualised Glory Drive Phase 1, 2 and 3 were built through the forest and swamps. Yenagoa is not what Duke described it.
“So, he is wrong. The Lagos-Calabar coastal road is buildable and possible.”
Read also:
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- Bayelsa Mourns Four NAF Plane Crash Victims, Diri Calls For Unity
Diri further stated that the project is critical to unlocking development in the states and riverine communities along its pathway.
According to him, the coastal highway is also very dear to the Ijaw ethnic nationality as it is one of the projects that the Ijaw National Congress (INC), even from its inception in the 1990s, clamoured for.
He said it is only the administration of President Bola Tinubu that eventually undertook the project after many years of presenting the request to previous governments at the centre.
Diri explained that this was one of his reasons for joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the interest of his people was paramount.
He cautioned against politicising development during election seasons as the consequences were often borne by the people that politicians seek their votes.
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