Civil society organisations, opposition party figures and key stakeholders in the business community have lauded the Federal Government for the quality of work being done on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. They also praised President Bola Tinubu for his to infrastructure development and economic growth.
The stakeholders spoke to journalists on the sidelines of a tour of the project in Lagos. According to them, Nigerians must rise above politics to support developmental efforts such as the coastal highway project, especially with the verification of the quality of work and huge economic benefits.
The Minister of Works Dave Umahi said during the tour that the first section of the 750km highway project, which covers the stretch from Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, to Eleko, Lagos, would be completed by May 2026. He expressed satisfaction with the level of work executed so far by Hi-Tech, noting that a total of 35km had been completed, with 12km left for the Section 1 of the project.
A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and convener of The Alternative Segun Showunmi said: “You cannot develop a nation without a long-term plan. “You cannot sustain a long-term plan in a multiparty democracy unless you’re able to build consensus around development.
“To build consensus around development, it means you will listen with the intention of hearing, not just with the intention of criticising, and you will go and see with the intention of verifying. “What I have seen so far today is commendable, I must tell you. Beyond our political ideological differences, we need to, as a nation, breathe in and out to explore how to achieve a consensus to develop our nation.
“When you look at countries like Singapore, India and UAE, their achievements have come through building consensus for national development. “A nation at 65 must be in a hurry to link its infrastructure to model after other globally competitive economies.” Proshare Group Chairman Olufemi Awoyemi said the coastal highway project is a test case for big infrastructure projects and their financing.
He said: “This is an alternative, providing a primary route for cross-country connectivity, away from the current congestion, and a test case for big infrastructure projects and their financing.” One of the leaders of about 20 civil society organisations represented during the tour, Declan Ihekaire, said he was happy that he had been invited to join the Minister on the project tour.
He said the work done so far and its quality must be commended by Nigerians. He said: “We, as CSOs must not condemn everytime. When we see where they are getting it right, we should talk so that we encourage them. Ultimately, the beneficiaries of good initiatives are the people.”
