South-South Governors oppose Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway realignment

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, acting as Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum, has rejected proposals to merge or realign the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the existing East-West Road. Diri stated that the two projects are distinct and that the reconstruction of the East-West Road should not serve as a substitute for the coastal highway.

In a private communication with the Minister of Works, David Umahi, Diri expressed that the South-South governors are unanimous in their support for the original coastal alignment. He emphasized that the coastal road is essential for the region.

Supporting this stance, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has also criticized the federal government's decision to divert the highway. PANDEF argued that the diversion, which the government attributed to difficult terrain and construction costs, would exclude several littoral oil-bearing communities from the connectivity and economic benefits intended by the project.