Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has criticised former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke over his comments on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Ajayi said Duke was wrong to suggest that the project would not extend beyond Epe in Lagos State.
Duke questions project
Duke made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television. He argued that Nigeria could not afford the multi-trillion-naira highway and said the funds would be better invested in electricity, healthcare and other priority sectors.
According to him, an existing road already links Lagos and Calabar. He said the government should rehabilitate that route instead of constructing a new coastal highway. Duke also argued that the swampy terrain in Bayelsa State would make the project difficult to complete.
“I don’t think that road is going to go beyond Epe.”
The former governor further criticised the Federal Government’s borrowing strategy. He also called for reforms in governance, revenue generation and Nigeria’s political structure.
Ajayi responds
Reacting in a post on his X account on Wednesday, Ajayi rejected Duke’s claims. He accused politicians of ignoring facts for political reasons and insisted that work on the highway had already progressed beyond Epe. According to him, construction has reached Ogun State. He added that contractors are also working on sections of the road in Ondo and Akwa Ibom states.
“While Duke was talking on TV that the coastal highway won’t go beyond Epe, the project has reached Ogun State, and work is going on on the Ondo and Akwa-Ibom states’ sections of the coastal road.”
Presidency defends highway
Ajayi maintained that the progress recorded on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway contradicts Duke’s assessment of the project. He insisted that construction is advancing in different states, showing the Federal Government’s commitment to completing the highway. The presidential aide also suggested that political considerations influenced Duke’s comments rather than the actual progress of the project.
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