The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the controversy surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and ensure that the project follows its originally approved route through the South-South region.
The council made the appeal during a press conference held on Thursday at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, led by its National President, Dr Doubra Okotete.
The IYC urged Tinubu to direct the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to maintain the original alignment of the 750-kilometre highway, which is expected to pass through Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
The council warned that any diversion of the route towards the existing East-West Road could exclude Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states from the planned coastal corridor, undermining the interests of communities in the region.
It described the reported proposal to alter the route as unacceptable, arguing that the project had undergone feasibility studies and design before construction commenced.
The council also rejected concerns about the financial implications and difficult terrain associated with constructing the highway through the Niger Delta, insisting that such challenges should not justify abandoning the original alignment.
To support its position, the IYC cited several road and bridge projects across the region, including the Nembe-Brass Road and Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie Road in Bayelsa State, as examples of infrastructure development in challenging terrain.
The council further called on the Federal Government to release the approved engineering designs and drawings for the entire highway to the public to clarify the project’s direction.
It also demanded the immediate commencement of construction along the Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Edo axis, alongside work on the Lagos-Ondo and Cross River-Akwa Ibom sections.
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