Former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke has taken Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State to task over his defense of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. In an apparent attack on Diri’s regionalism, Duke has questioned the feasibility, affordability, and necessity of the project in the face of Nigeria’s competing development priorities.
Duke’s criticism was sparked by Diri’s recent remarks defending the coastal highway, which he described as a ‘local champion’ project that would boost economic development in the Niger Delta region. However, Duke, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s political circles, accused Diri of ignoring the national implications of the project, arguing that it could divert resources from other crucial development areas.
In response to Duke’s criticism, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, a fellow Nigerian politician, came to Diri’s defense. Murray-Bruce insisted that Diri was speaking as a statesman who recognized the value of infrastructure built to international standards, and that the governor’s support for the project was not based on a narrow state-level perspective.
The controversy over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is far from over, and it remains to be seen how the project will move forward. However, the debate between Duke and Diri has highlighted the complexities of Nigeria’s regional politics and the challenges of balancing national and state-level development priorities.
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