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

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

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

Amakor argued that redirecting funds to repair existing roads would alleviate economic pressures and enhance safety for residents, ultimately fostering growth in the Niger Delta region. 

He noted that the East-West Road has faced delays since the Jonathan administration, and it would make more economic sense to fix these bad roads across the country than purchase expensive SUVs for National Assembly members.

He recalled that the Ijaw Progressive Union 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 Ports and Calabar ports, which could decongest the Lagos port and provide jobs for locals.

Amakor emphasized that deteriorating roads in the Niger Delta exacerbate poverty levels and deter investments, stifling economic growth and development in the region.

Amakor stated, “It is unacceptable if the people of the region where most of the Nigerian resources are obtained do not have functional schools, hospitals, recreational facilities among others, and money is taken from there to construct another project that has no direct benefits on them.”

While pointing f out that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has the mandate to provide infrastructure for the region, the group urged President to ensure the full implementation process f the NDDC mandate.