Former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, Donald Duke, has described Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri as a “local champion” over his defence of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Duke made the remark during an interview on ARISE News’ The Morning Show on Thursday, October 15, accusing Diri of viewing the project from a narrow state perspective rather than considering Nigeria’s overall economic position and competing development priorities.
The disagreement followed Diri’s rejection of Duke’s earlier assertion that constructing the coastal highway through Bayelsa State would be impracticable because of the difficult swampy terrain of the Niger Delta.
Duke maintained that the project was financially impractical and questioned whether the Federal Government had adequately considered its cost, route and necessity before embarking on the ambitious infrastructure undertaking.
“If the governor of Bayelsa did say so, I don’t know the fellow, but if he did say so, I think he is just being a local champion,” Duke said during the interview.
He added that his assessment of the project was based on the country’s overall development needs rather than the interests of any particular state or region.
“He is seeing within the ambit of his state…I am looking at the totality of Nigeria,” the former governor said.
Duke argued that Nigeria could struggle to finance the project amid competing demands on public resources, insisting that the government should carefully consider its financial capacity before committing to such a costly undertaking.
“We don’t have the kind of money to do it,” he said.
The former governor also questioned the proposed route, arguing that the project should be called the Lagos Coastal Highway rather than the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway because he doubted whether the road would eventually reach Calabar as planned.
Duke maintained that although road construction across Bayelsa’s swampy terrain was technically possible, the financial implications could make the project economically unjustifiable.
“It’s not that you can’t build a road across Bayelsa, but it’s just not affordable. And it doesn’t make sense because there is a road going to Calabar, if that is it,” he said.
He further alleged that land reclamation and sand-filling activities associated with parts of the project raised questions about whether the highway’s implementation served interests beyond transportation.
“To me, it’s a land grab. Let’s be honest with ourselves,” Duke said.
He also questioned the reported decision to divert a section of the proposed highway towards the East-West Road, asking whether the existing route had been adequately considered during the initial planning stages.
The controversy has brought renewed attention to the engineering, financial and developmental considerations surrounding the Federal Government’s proposed 750-kilometre coastal highway, which is designed to traverse nine states, including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.
Diri had earlier faulted Duke’s assessment of the project, insisting that the difficult terrain of Bayelsa State should not be considered an insurmountable obstacle to road construction.
In a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, the governor expressed disappointment with Duke’s remarks, arguing that they did not reflect developments in infrastructure construction across the state.
Diri cited the Nembe-Brass Road, Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge Road and Yenagoa-Oporoma Road as examples of projects demonstrating that roads could be constructed across difficult terrain.
He also referenced the 630-metre bridge across the River Nun at Angiama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, alongside other road projects undertaken in the state.
According to the governor, these projects demonstrate that modern engineering can overcome the challenges posed by the state’s swampy and mangrove environments.
Diri further suggested that Duke’s criticism might have been influenced by political considerations rather than an appreciation of the highway’s potential benefits to the Niger Delta.
He maintained that the coastal highway could improve connectivity, stimulate economic activities and open up communities that have historically faced significant infrastructure challenges.
The exchange between the two South-South political figures has intensified the debate over the proposed highway, particularly concerning its affordability, engineering requirements, route alignment and potential economic benefits.
While Duke insists that the Federal Government should reconsider the project in view of Nigeria’s financial constraints, Diri maintains that the challenging terrain of the Niger Delta should not prevent the construction of infrastructure capable of improving connectivity and supporting regional development.
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