The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as an unnecessary project, arguing that Nigeria cannot afford such an expenditure at this time.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, Duke questioned the priority given to the multi-billion-naira project, insisting that the country would benefit more from investing in critical sectors such as electricity, healthcare and education.
According to him, the existing road linking Lagos to Calabar should simply be rehabilitated instead of embarking on a new coastal highway project.
“Nigeria cannot afford the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. I don’t think the road will go beyond Epe.
“And I think the road serves other purposes because I drove once on the road, and all I saw was land reclamation and all that.
“There is already a road from Lagos to Calabar. I’ve driven from Lagos to Calabar several times. If the road is poor, fix it.”
Duke maintained that government spending should reflect the country’s current economic realities rather than large-scale projects that, in his view, are not immediate priorities.
“There are some expenditures we make that do not reflect the realities of our circumstances.
“The amount spent on that road could be better spent providing electricity or upgrading the healthcare system.”
The former Cross River State governor also expressed concern over what he described as inadequate funding for key public services, particularly healthcare and education.
“Last year, I think the capital budget that was released for health was barely ₦36 million, and this came from the minister himself.
“That’s pathetic for a country of 230 million people. Not to talk of the schooling system that is hardly funded.”…..See More