Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has disagreed with former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke. Duke claimed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway cannot be built due to the swampy land in the Niger Delta. Diri pointed out that roads and bridges have already been built in similar conditions in Bayelsa.
In a statement from his spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah, shared on Wednesday, Diri said Duke’s comments do not reflect the progress made in building infrastructure in the area.
Duke, who is the presidential candidate for the Peoples Redemption Party in the 2027 elections, called the highway unbuildable during an interview on Arise News. He argued that the swampy land in Bayelsa would make construction very hard and that many bridges would be needed.
“The Lagos-Calabar Road is unbuildable. You cannot even go through Bayelsa. Bayelsa is swamp. Even Yenagoa, the capital, is swamp. You will probably have to build about 100 or 200 bridges to go through those swamps,” Duke said.
But Diri defended his administration’s ability to build roads and bridges in tough terrains. He said he was disappointed that Duke, a fellow person from the region, made such a statement.
“I have seen the trending video clip of the former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, on an Arise Television programme. To say the least, I feel disappointed that former Governor Duke, who is from our region, made such a comment. Clearly, he is not abreast of current developments in road construction and infrastructure development in our state,” Diri said.
He suggested that Duke’s comments might have a political angle. He said Duke failed to see how important the project is for the Niger Delta.
“In Bayelsa, we have successfully constructed dual carriage roads and bridges in similar terrain and our state is better for it,” he stated.
Diri mentioned the Nembe-Brass Road, the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge Road, and the Yenagoa-Oporoma Road as key projects in swampy areas across Bayelsa’s three senatorial districts. He also talked about the 630-metre bridge across River Nun in Angiama, which he called one of the longest in the region.
The governor highlighted the dualised roads in New Yenagoa City and Glory Drive Phases One, Two, and Three as proof that building roads is possible in swamp and forest areas.
“Yenagoa is not what Duke described it. So, he is wrong. The Lagos-Calabar coastal road is buildable and possible,” he added.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 750-kilometre federal government project that will pass through nine coastal states: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.
Diri said this project is key for opening up economic chances and speeding up development in communities along the route, especially in riverine areas that have struggled with infrastructure for a long time.
He pointed out that the highway is crucial for the Ijaw people, mentioning that the Ijaw National Congress has pushed for such a project since it started in the 1990s.
According to him, different federal governments have received calls for this project before President Bola Tinubu’s government took it on.
Diri also shared his reason for joining the ruling All Progressives Congress. He said the needs of his people should come first over party politics.
He warned politicians against making development projects political during election times. He said the people often suffer the consequences of these political arguments.
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