By Bayo Wahab
Former senator Ben Murray-Bruce has faulted Donald Duke over his description of Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri as a “local champion” in the debate over the feasibility of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Murray-Bruce said Diri was speaking as a statesman who recognised the value of infrastructure built to international standards, insisting that the governor’s support for the project was not based on a narrow state-level perspective.
He stated this in a series of posts on X on Friday while reacting to the exchange between Duke, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, and Diri over the coastal highway project.
Duke had questioned the feasibility and affordability of constructing the highway through Bayelsa’s swampy terrain, prompting the governor to defend the project and highlight his administration’s experience in building roads and bridges across swamps and mangroves.
Responding to Duke’s criticism, Diri, through his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, said the former Cross River State governor was not abreast of developments in road construction and infrastructure in Bayelsa.
“Clearly, he is not abreast of current developments in road construction and infrastructure development in our state,” Diri said.
However, Duke, speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, dismissed the governor’s defence, arguing that Diri was considering the project from a state-level perspective rather than its broader implications for Nigeria.
“The governor of Bayelsa, if he did say so, I don’t know the fellow, but if he did say so, I think he’s just being a local champion,” Duke said.
Reacting, Murray-Bruce said he was surprised by Duke’s recent comments, recalling that they had travelled together along the coastline where the highway is being constructed and that Duke had previously praised the vision behind the project.
“My dear brother Donald Duke, some years ago, you and I travelled along the stretch of the coastline where this road now runs, and I clearly remember your praise for the vision behind it. That is why your recent comments surprised me,” he said.
While acknowledging the high cost of the project, Murray-Bruce argued that major infrastructure investments required substantial funding and should be assessed in terms of their long-term benefits.
“Yes, the Coastal Highway is expensive. We agree on that. But nothing of lasting value in this world is cheap or free. Great nations are built by leaders willing to make bold, costly investments that will serve generations yet unborn,” he said.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had committed to funding the project and was fulfilling that commitment.
Murray-Bruce also rejected suggestions that the project was facing funding challenges, saying construction was progressing and describing the quality of the work as “second to none”.
“There is no funding shortfall. The work is progressing, and the quality of construction is second to none,” he said.
Defending Diri against Duke’s remarks, Murray-Bruce said the Bayelsa governor’s support for the highway reflected an appreciation of its significance beyond his state.
“When Governor Douye Diri commended the road, he was not speaking as a local champion; he was speaking as a statesman who recognises infrastructure of international standard when he sees it. I agree with him completely,” he said.
Murray-Bruce acknowledged Duke’s right to criticise the project as a presidential candidate but warned against allowing political interests to undermine infrastructure he described as nationally important.
“Donald, I understand that you are running for president, and that your statement is political. That is the nature of the season, and I respect your right to make your case to Nigerians. But we must be careful never to undermine a project of national importance, or the President delivering it, simply for political advantage,” he said.
Comparing the highway to the United States’ space programme, he argued that costly projects could still be necessary for national development.
“When mankind went to the moon, it was neither cheap nor free. But it was necessary. So is this road,” Murray-Bruce said.
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