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The National Youth Wing of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the planned rerouting of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway through Ondo and Edo states from the existing East-West Road.
The group demanded the immediate cancellation of the proposed diversion and a return to the original coastal alignment across all affected sections.
It described the reported change in alignment as a betrayal of the project’s original purpose, warning that it would further marginalise coastal communities in the Niger Delta that have contributed significantly to the nation’s oil wealth.
Addressing journalists in Benin City, Edo state capital, National youth leader of PANDEF, Chief Hon. DonBen Donyegha, condemned the decision announced by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to divert sections of the highway from the original coastal corridor to the existing East-West Road.
PANDEF said the project was conceived to connect Lagos with Calabar through coastal and riverine communities, providing improved access to areas that have suffered years of infrastructural neglect, environmental pollution and underdevelopment.
It argued, “the difficult terrain and high construction costs cited as reasons for the proposed realignment should not be used to deny oil-bearing communities the benefits of the project.
“The affected communities had endured the consequences of oil exploration, including pollution and gas flaring, while continuing to contribute to the country’s economic sustenance.”
The National youth leader further said the decision to redirect the highway inland would undermine the objectives for which the coastal road was proposed and reinforce the perception that the Niger Delta was being excluded from critical national infrastructure.
The youth wing recalled the delay in President Tinubu’s assent to the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) Bill, noting that the commission was eventually established in March 2025 following sustained pressure and protests by stakeholders in the region.
It said the episode highlighted the need for the Federal Government to treat the South-South fairly without forcing the region to resort to repeated agitation before securing development initiatives available to other parts of the country.
The group cautioned the President against allowing forces within his administration to use the highway project to undermine the interests of coastal states and communities.
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