‘LOCAL CHAMPION’ — DONALD DUKE REPLIES GOV DIRI OVER LAGOS-CALABAR COASTAL ROAD

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has described Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri as a “local champion” following the governor’s criticism of his position on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

The Donald Duke Diri local champion coastal road exchange occurred during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday.

DUKE’S RESPONSE

Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, insisted that the coastal road project was not feasible because of its cost and the terrain it would traverse.

Responding to Diri’s defence of the project, the PRP candidate dismissed the governor’s perspective.

“And the governor of Bayelsa, if he did say so, I don’t know the fellow, but if he did say so, I think he’s just being a local champion,” Duke said.

He added that his regional origin did not prevent him from assessing the project from a national perspective.

“I’m from the South-South. I’m a Nigerian. South-South just happens to be where I originated from. But I’m looking at the totality of Nigeria,” he said .

THE FEASIBILITY ARGUMENT

Duke maintained that Nigeria lacked the financial capacity to undertake the project, arguing that the government was already borrowing to fund infrastructure development.

“It’s just not feasible. We don’t have the kind of money to do it. We’re literally borrowing to even stretch Epe stretch. We’re borrowing. We can’t do it,” he said.

Duke also questioned the decision to divert a section of the road to the East-West Road, asking whether the existing highway had been considered from the start of the project.

“Now, they have said that they’re going to divert the road onto the East-West Highway. Weren’t they aware of the East-West Highway from get-go?” he asked .

DIRI’S EARLIER CRITICISM

Diri had expressed disappointment with Duke’s earlier claim that constructing the highway through Bayelsa would be impracticable because of the state’s swampy terrain.

The Bayelsa governor, through his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, argued that Duke was out of touch with developments in the state, where his administration had built roads and bridges across swamps and mangroves.

“I’ve seen the trending video clip of the former Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency Donald Duke, on an Arise Television programme. To say the least, I feel disappointed that former Governor Duke, who is from our region, made such a comment. Clearly, he’s not abreast of current developments in road construction and infrastructure development in our state,” Diri said.

Diri cited the Nembe-Brass road, the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge road, and the Yenagoa-Oporoma road as examples of major causeways in swampy terrain.

“In Bayelsa, we have successfully constructed dual carriage roads and bridges in similar terrain and our state is better for it. The Nembe-Brass road, the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge road, and the Yenagoa-Oporoma road, which are major causeways in our three senatorial districts, are all in swampy terrain. Ditto for the 630-metre bridge across River Nun at Angiama community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, which is one of the longest in the region”.

THE POLITICAL UNDERCURRENT

Diri also suggested that Duke’s criticism had political colourations and that the former governor did not consider the significance of the project to the region.

He said the coastal highway was dear to the Ijaw ethnic nationality and was one of the projects the Ijaw National Congress had clamoured for since the 1990s. He said it was only the administration of President Bola Tinubu that eventually undertook the project after many years of presenting the request to previous governments at the centre.

Diri explained that this was one of his reasons for joining the All Progressives Congress as the interest of his people was paramount.

WHY IT MATTERS

The exchange highlights the broader debate over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Nigeria’s history.

Supporters argue it will unlock development in coastal communities and connect the South-South and South-West regions.

Critics question its feasibility, cost and environmental impact.

The Duke-Diri exchange also reflects the political dimension of the project, with the Bayelsa governor aligning himself with the Tinubu administration and Duke positioning himself as a national candidate willing to challenge the project on feasibility grounds.

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ValidViewNetwork reports that Duke has dismissed Diri as a “local champion.” The debate over the coastal road continues.