It is looking like we will need to revisit this Calabar to Lagos coastal road after Donald Duke’s recent revelation that it is a non-starter

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Like many of you, I have been mulling over the recent revelation that the much-vaunted Calabar-Lagos coastal road is not going to be completed

[2] I listened to PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke talk about how the project cannot be completed because of the prohibitive costs. He made it clear that realistically, somewhere between 100 and 200 bridges would need to be built for the project to go ahead

[3] According to Mr Duke, the planners should have just upgraded the existing East-West Road rather than look to build a new project from scratch

[4] Wadding into the debate, Femi Falana revealed that the project is no longer called a coastal road

[5] Mr Falana added that it is now looking like they will bolt the project on to the existing East-West Road. Apparently, even the minister of works Dave Umahi has now conceded that it is no longer a coastal road and shall be taken inland through Edo State

[6] Several other commentators have added that they too see this as another white elephant project. Apparently, the coastal section only links Lagos and Ogun states

[7] I am not sure how much has been spent on the project so far but I think we should retrieve the situation by opting for a railway line

[8] For me, a coastal railway line linking Lagos and Calabar makes much more economic sense than a coastal road. You can move more goods, people, freight, fuel, etc by rail than road

[9] We should then augment this railway line with a Badagry to Calabar coastal windmill farm to generate clean energy

[10] As part of the 2027 election campaign, I would like to see the political gladiators sit down and do some number crunching. How much will this project cost, how long will it take, where is the funding coming from and how soon will it recoup the investment?

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