Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River state, says the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project is yet another case of misplaced priority from the federal government.
He also claimed that the 750km project — with completed sections already straddling a few kilometres in Cross River and Akwa Ibom on the Calabar end, and making incursions into Ondo from the Lagos end — would not go past Epe near Ogun state.
Duke, who is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 election, spoke on Tuesday during ‘Prime Time’, a programme on Arise Television.
He said the government’s expenditure should reflect the country’s current economic realities, stating that some ongoing projects do not represent prudent use of scarce resources.
“I’ll bring this up. Take the Lagos-Calabar highway. I know the country cannot afford it,” he said.
“You cannot build a road on the coast from Lagos to Calabar. I mean, you can’t even go through Bayelsa. Bayelsa is swamp. Even Yenagoa, the capital, is swamp. You’ll probably have to build about 100 or 200 bridges to go through those swamps.”
Duke stated that there is already a road linking Lagos and Calabar, adding that the government should rehabilitate the existing infrastructure instead of embarking on a new project.
“There is already a road to Calabar. I’ve driven from Lagos to Calabar several times. If the road is poor, fix it,” he said.
“I don’t think that road is going to go beyond Epe, and I think the road serves other purposes because I drove once on the road and all I saw on the right flank going towards Epe was land reclamation and all that.”
He said funds earmarked for the project would be better invested in sectors with more direct impact on lives of citizens.
“The amount going to be spent on that road could be better spent providing electricity or upgrading your healthcare system,” he said.
Duke described funding for the health sector as inadequate, noting that the country’s healthcare and education systems require far greater investment.
“Last year, the capital budget that was released for health was barely N36 million. This came from the minister himself. That’s pathetic for a country of 230 million people,” he said.
“Not to talk about the schooling system that is hardly funded. So you prioritise, focus on your priorities, recalibrate your revenue system.”
The former governor also called for reforms to Nigeria’s revenue collection system, saying excessive reliance on taxing corporate profits encourages tax avoidance.
According to him, expanding transactional taxes and improving revenue administration could significantly increase government earnings.
He also identified affordable energy as the foundation for economic growth, urging the government to make electricity and other energy sources more accessible.
“We are blessed with all the known forms of energy, from hydro to solar to gas to petroleum,” he said.
“I’m not saying give it free of charge, no, but make it available and very affordable because that is going to be a major stimulus for the productivity of your people.”
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