Lagos-Calabar coastal road: I’m vindicated by Umahi’s admission on difficult terrain — Duke

…says Diri’s attempt to dismiss concerns politically motivated

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and former Cross River state governor, Donald Duke, has said the Minister of Works, Mr. Dave Umahi’s acknowledgement of difficult terrain and the redesign of sections of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has vindicated his concerns about the project.

In a statement by his personal assistant, Emeka Okpragu, Duke said Umahi’s explanation confirmed the construction challenges he had highlighted, while rejecting Bayelsa state Governor Douye Diri’s dismissal of his criticism as politically motivated.

“I have been vindicated on the difficult terrain concerns I raised earlier. The minister supervising the project has acknowledged difficult ground conditions and explained why sections had to be redesigned. That is the substance Governor Diri should address.

“If the terrain were as straightforward as his response suggests, why did the minister consider a detour necessary? Why did difficult subsoil conditions become a justification for changing sections of the alignment?”

Diri had cited roads and bridges constructed across Bayelsa’s swamps as evidence that the coastal highway was achievable.

Governor Diri had said in a statement issued by his chief press secretary, Daniel Alabrah that : “So, he is wrong. The Lagos-Calabar coastal road is buildable and possible.”

Diri’s response followed Duke’s earlier Arise Television interview, in which the former governor warned: “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.”

Duke had also advocated rehabilitating existing infrastructure, saying: “There is already a road to Calabar. I’ve driven from Lagos to Calabar several times. If the road is poor, fix it.”

Responding to Diri, Duke said his concerns extended beyond technical feasibility to the project’s engineering demands, affordability and spending priorities.

“Governor Diri’s examples do not dispose off those questions. A road can be technically possible and still require a serious examination of its cost, financing and priority. Listing roads built across swamps does not tell Nigerians what the entire coastal highway will ultimately demand.”

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Umahi subsequently acknowledged construction difficulties along the Ondo section, explaining: “We had to take a very serious engineering decision by making a detour, redesigning it to avoid such route.”

The Federal Ministry of Works’ account of his October 7 briefing stated that parts of the alignment were redesigned because of difficult terrain, deep pits and challenging subsoil conditions. It also said President Bola Tinubu directed that the highway’s continuation be aligned with the existing East-West Road in parts of the Niger Delta.

“These explanations give substance to my warning. The minister has described the ground conditions that informed his engineering decisions. Governor Diri cannot answer my concern merely by assigning political motives to them.

“The minister has also questioned the expectation that construction across difficult terrain should cost the same as construction on normal ground. That brings us directly to the financial implications I raised.”

Umahi later maintained that the full coastal highway remained intact and described the proposed East-West Road reconstruction as an additional project.

Duke said the assurance did not erase Umahi’s acknowledgement of construction difficulties.

“My vindication concerns the terrain challenges I highlighted. An assurance that the project will proceed does not make those challenges disappear.

“Governor Diri is entitled to support the highway. But he should engage the questions about design, cost and priorities. The people of the Niger Delta deserve development, and they deserve clear answers about the resources committed to delivering it.”