Donald Duke urges Nigeria to fix existing Lagos‑Calabar road, warns coastal highway is unaffordable

Former Cross River governor and 2027 PRP presidential candidate Donald Duke criticised the Federal Government’s Lagos‑Calabar Coastal Highway, calling the 750‑km project an unaffordable priority for a country facing economic strain. He argued that the existing Lagos‑Calabar route should be rehabilitated instead of building a new coastal road that would require dozens of bridges through swampy terrain in Bayelsa State.

Duke said the billions earmarked for the highway would have greater impact if redirected to electricity, healthcare and education, and he urged reforms to Nigeria’s revenue system to broaden tax bases. In a separate interview he warned that without urgent intervention the nation could face a deeper crisis, citing a broken economy, security challenges from Boko Haram, ISWAP and banditry, and poor governance exemplified by recent scandals.

He called on opposition parties to unite and chart a new course for Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections.