PANDEF flays Lagos-Calabar highway diversion

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has rejected the federal government’s decision to divert the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway from its original coastal alignment to the existing East-West Road through Ondo and Edo states.
The group, however, demanded a return to the original coastal alignment.
Addressing journalists in Benin on Tuesday, PANDEF National Youth Leader, DonBen Donyegha, described the federal government decision as a betrayal of the project’s purpose and the coastal oil-bearing communities whose resources contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economy.
The federal government had attributed the diversion to difficult terrain, deep pits and construction costs in parts of Ogun and Ondo states.
He, however, argued that the decision would exclude several communities originally expected to benefit from the coastal highway.
He said the project was conceived to connect Lagos through the littoral states and Niger Delta communities to Calabar, providing improved connectivity for communities that have endured decades of environmental pollution, gas flaring and underdevelopment arising from oil exploration.
According to him, the engineering challenges should not be used as an excuse to deny the region critical infrastructure.
Donyegha warned that diverting the route would deepen the feeling of exclusion among Niger Delta communities.
He called for transparent consultations with host communities, state governments and regional stakeholders, as well as public confirmation that all littoral oil-bearing communities originally intended to benefit from the project would still be served by an appropriate coastal route.