… Says Lagos-Calabar road drains public resources

The Young Advocates for Good Governance (YAGG), Ondo State chapter, has called on President Bola Tinubu to halt further expenditure of public funds on the 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing the project as a misplaced priority in the face of the country’s numerous infrastructural challenges.

The group also questioned the rationale behind the president’s criticism of state governors over flyover constructions, arguing that the same standard of fiscal prudence should apply to federal projects.

In a statement signed by its Ondo State Coordinator, Comrade Kingsley Adegbami, and General Secretary, Comrade Idowu Oluwalana, the group advised the handlers of the President to counsel him against what it described as wasteful spending on the coastal road project.

Tinubu had criticised state governors for prioritising flyover constructions over more pressing infrastructure needs, describing such projects as wasteful spending in areas with little vehicular traffic.

YAGG argued that the president should focus on addressing more pressing national needs instead of criticising governors over the construction of flyovers in their respective states.

The group stated that rather than advising state governors to stop building flyovers, which the president reportedly described as a waste of public funds, he should first look inward and reassess some of his own policies.

According to YAGG, some of the federal government’s actions are driven more by politics than national development and amount to an unnecessary drain on the nation’s resources.

The group further alleged that one of the greatest wastes of public funds is making huge sums of money available to a minister to destabilise a state for the sole purpose of undermining the political interests of a serving governor.

The advocacy group, however, commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for commencing the construction of the 2.3-kilometre Oba-Adesida Flyover in Akure, expressing confidence that the project would ease traffic congestion, encourage investment, create employment opportunities and stimulate economic activities in the state capital upon completion.

YAGG also questioned why President Tinubu did not apply the same standard to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway before embarking on the project, arguing that the Federal Government would not need to spend even half of the estimated ₦15 trillion earmarked for the coastal road if it chose instead to reconstruct the existing federal highways across the country.

“We are aware that the Lagos to Calabar Coastal Road is not primarily about economic importance but more about personal interest. After all, there was no record of competitive bidding before the federal government awarded the contract to HITECH Construction Company Limited, a company that is rumoured to be owned by an ally of the president.”

“It beats our imagination that the federal government has embarked on the construction of this project at a time when the country’s finances are heading south and in the face of the dilapidated state of thousands of kilometres of existing highways, which have become death traps. Who should be more mindful of wasting public funds on less important projects, the president or the governors?”

The group urged the federal government to place greater priority on rehabilitating existing roads that serve millions of Nigerians daily rather than embarking on projects whose economic value remains questionable.

“Leaders at all levels must ensure that public resources are deployed prudently and in ways that directly improve the lives of the people. We believe this is what Nigerians expect from a government that is committed to transparency, accountability and good governance,” YAGG added.