Duke Critiques N15 Trillion Lagos-Calabar Highway Project

Donald Duke, who governed Cross River State for eight years and is now the 2027 presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, criticized the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway during an appearance on Arise News on August 5. He described the project as a misplaced priority, arguing that Nigeria cannot afford it and that existing roads to Calabar only require repairs.

Duke expressed concerns about the engineering challenges posed by the terrain through Bayelsa’s swamps, which would necessitate hundreds of bridges. He suggested that funds allocated for the highway would be better spent on electricity and healthcare.

In response, Temitope Ajayi, a media aide to the Presidency, dismissed Duke's comments as politically motivated and pointed out that construction is already underway beyond Epe, extending into Ogun State, with ongoing work in Ondo and Akwa Ibom. Duke's geographic claims about the highway's limitations have been contradicted by actual construction progress.