The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last general election, Peter Obi, has questioned the federal government’s decision to build the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway when there are existing unfinished projects spread across the country
Obi, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, April 22, stated that the project was a misplaced priority given the numerous unfinished roads throughout the country and the heavy costs that’ll be incurred from carrying out such a project.
The former governor of Anambra State mentioned that the budget allocated to the Ministry of Works is “insufficient” for significant progress on the country’s various unfinished roads, much less their completion.
“The Federal Ministry of Works 2024 capital budget of N892,461,262,656.00, additional funding from multilateral loan projects of N94,828,535,243.00, alongside other expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads, some of which I enumerated above, let alone their completion
So, why embark on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years?
“To do so will only exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development.
“Therefore, while acknowledging the potential benefits of coastal superhighway infrastructure, I urge prioritization of our existing uncompleted projects. We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure.
“In any development formula, the primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years,” Obi said.
Back in March, the Federal Government began constructing the 700-kilometer Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway, designed to extend through 9 states with two spurs leading to the Northern States.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, said the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will tentatively cost N15.6 trillion.
