Donald Duke, wey be presidential candidate of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), don call Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri a ‘local champion’ after di governor criticize im position on Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Duke, wey be former governor of Cross River State, reply Diri during interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday. He insist say di coastal road project no feasible because of cost and di terrain wey e go pass through.
Diri had express disappointment with Duke earlier claim say constructing di highway through Bayelsa go no possible because of di state swampy terrain. Di Bayelsa governor, through im Chief Press Secretary Daniel Alabrah, argue say Duke no dey in touch with developments in di state, where im administration don build roads and bridges across swamps and mangroves. Diri talk say clearly, he no dey abreast of current developments in road construction and infrastructure development in di state.
Duke respond say di governor dey view di matter from state-level perspective instead of considering di wider implications for Nigeria. He talk say di governor of Bayelsa, if he did say so, I no know di fellow, but if he did say so, I think he just dey be a local champion. Duke add say im regional origin no stop am from assessing di project from national perspective. He talk say I come from South-South, I be Nigerian, South-South just happen to be where I originate from, but I dey look at di totality of Nigeria.
Duke maintain say Nigeria no get di financial capacity to undertake di project, arguing say government already dey borrow to fund infrastructure development. He talk say e just no feasible, we no get di kind of money to do am, we dey literally borrow to even stretch Epe stretch, we dey borrow, we no fit do am. Duke also question di decision to divert a section of di road to East-West Road, asking whether dem consider di existing highway from di start of di project. He ask say now dem don talk say dem go divert di road onto East-West Highway, weren’t dem aware of East-West Highway from get-go?
For anoda statement, Duke talk say Minister of Works Dave Umahi acknowledgement of difficult terrain and di redesign of sections of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway don vindicate im concerns about di project. For statement by im personal assistant Emeka Okpragu, Duke talk say Umahi explanation confirm di construction challenges he highlight, while he reject Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri dismissal of im criticism as politically motivated.
Duke talk say I don dey vindicated on di difficult terrain concerns I raise earlier. Di minister wey dey supervise di project don acknowledge difficult ground conditions and explain why sections had to be redesigned. Na dat substance Governor Diri suppose address. He ask say if di terrain straightforward as im response suggest, why di minister consider detour necessary? Why difficult subsoil conditions become justification for changing sections of di alignment?
Diri had cite roads and bridges wey dem construct across Bayelsa swamps as evidence say di coastal highway achievable. For statement wey im Chief Press Secretary Daniel Alabrah issue, Diri talk say so, he dey wrong. Di Lagos-Calabar coastal road buildable and possible. Diri response follow Duke earlier Arise Television interview, where di former governor warn say you cannot even go through Bayelsa. Bayelsa na swamp. Even Yenagoa, di capital, na swamp. You go probably build about 100 or 200 bridges to go through those swamps. Duke also advocate say make dem rehabilitate existing infrastructure, saying there is already a road to Calabar. I don drive from Lagos to Calabar several times. If di road poor, fix am.
Responding to Diri, Duke talk say im concerns extend beyond technical feasibility to di project engineering demands, affordability and spending priorities. He talk say Governor Diri examples no dispose off those questions. A road fit be technically possible and still require serious examination of im cost, financing and priority. Listing roads built across swamps no tell Nigerians wetin di entire coastal highway go ultimately demand. Umahi subsequently acknowledge construction difficulties along di Ondo section, explaining say we had to take a very serious engineering decision by making a detour, redesigning am to avoid such route.
Di Federal Ministry of Works account of im October 7 briefing state say parts of di alignment redesign because of difficult terrain, deep pits and challenging subsoil conditions. E also talk say President Bola Tinubu direct say make dem align di highway continuation with di existing East-West Road in parts of di Niger Delta. Duke talk say these explanations give substance to im warning.
