The Secretary-General of Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni, has called on President Bola Tinubu to review the proposed alignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and ensure that the project runs through Ondo State’s coastal communities.
In an open letter to the President, Ebiseni said he was writing on behalf of the Ilaje-Yoruba people and other coastal communities in Ondo State, warning that the current route had strayed from the original purpose of the project.
He said Ondo’s more than 100-kilometre oil-producing coastline had been unfairly bypassed, despite the highway being conceived as a genuine coastal road.
According to him, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a historic national infrastructure project designed to connect Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline from Lagos to Calabar and should therefore remain faithful to that vision.
Ebiseni also highlighted the historical importance of the Ilaje coastline, noting that the area was once part of the former Lagos Colony during the colonial era.
He said historical records indicated that telegraph poles and cables were installed along the corridor, while British colonial administrators also made official tours through the area.
Rejecting ecological concerns as a reason for excluding Ondo’s coastline, the Afenifere leader pointed to major engineering projects, including Victoria Island and Eko Atlantic City, as evidence that the terrain could be successfully developed.
Ebiseni further expressed concern that consultations on the highway in Ondo State were conducted in Akure instead of the affected coastal communities. He said the proposed alignment was neither presented to nor discussed with the local stakeholders who would be directly affected.
While acknowledging and commending the Federal Government’s progress on the project, he said construction was ongoing from Victoria Island towards Ondo through communities including Irokun, Agerige, Uhapen, Olopo and Ipare.
However, he alleged that the route had deliberately shifted inland, leaving out more populated Atlantic coastal communities.
Ebiseni linked the development to the Federal Government’s approval of a 100-kilometre extension connecting Edo State.
He stressed that the coastal communities were not against development in neighbouring states but insisted that Ondo’s coastline should not be sacrificed in the process.
According to him, extending the highway through Ondo’s coastal areas would open up new economic opportunities, help reduce coastal erosion around Aiyetoro and drive development across Ilaje, Ikale and neighbouring communities.
The Afenifere Secretary-General proposed that the highway should continue along the Ondo coastline to Oghoye in Warri before connecting with the Edo section through an alternative route across Delta State and onward to Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.
Describing the project as potentially the most impactful legacy project in the Niger Delta, Ebiseni urged President Tinubu to ensure that it fulfilled its original coastal vision.
He also congratulated the President and Nigeria’s security agencies on their recent successes against insurgency and terrorism, reaffirming the loyalty and support of the coastal communities.
Ebiseni expressed hope that Ondo’s coastline would eventually be incorporated into the landmark highway project.
