Doherty sues FG, HiTech over Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

• Says project violates Public Procurement, EIA Acts
• Ijaw union urges Tinubu to prioritise repair of regional roads

The candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in the last Lagos State gubernatorial election, Funso Doherty, has taken the Federal Government, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and HiTech Construction Company to court over the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

The former governorship candidate made this known in a statement, at the weekend.

Doherty, who had earlier served pre-action notices to the parties, argued that the award of the project violated the Public Procurement Act and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act.

The politician, who made seven claims in the lawsuit, also stated that the action of government’s ministries and agencies involved in the project pose a significant risk to the lives and property in Lagos State and beyond, urging the court to enforce adherence to the law.

The lawsuit, filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos, has the Attorney-General of the Federation, BPP and HiTech as the first, second and third defendants respectively.

MEANWHILE, the Ijaw Progressive Union (IPU) has called on President Bola Tinubu to prioritise the repair of deteriorating roads, and other social amenities in the Niger Delta region over the ambitious Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

Executive Coordinator of IPU, Asiaye Amaye Amakor, said that while the coastal road initiative holds potential economic benefits, immediate communities in the South-South region need roads to be motorable for easy movement of goods and services.

“Many roads in the region are in critical condition, hampering transportation and trade essential for local economies” he noted.

Amakor, who said that redirecting funds to repair existing roads would alleviate economic pressures and enhance safety for residents, ultimately fostering growth in the Niger Delta region, noted that the East-West Road had faced delays since Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, and it would make more economic sense to fix these bad roads across the country than purchasing expensive Sports Utilities Vehicles (SUVs) for National Assembly members.

He recalled that the IPU had earlier written to the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Niger Delta Ministry on the need to improve infrastructure development in the region, such as resuscitating the Burutu and Calabar Ports, which could decongest the Lagos Port and provide jobs for locals.

The IPU said that the deteriorated roads in the Niger Delta had exacerbated poverty levels and deter investments, stifling economic growth and development in the region.