Lagos-Calabar Highway Won’t Go Anywhere, Nigeria Can’t Afford It — Donald Duke

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has criticised the Federal Government’s Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, arguing that Nigeria cannot afford the massive infrastructure investment under its current economic realities.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, Duke questioned the priority given to the project, insisting that scarce public resources should instead be directed towards critical sectors such as healthcare, education and electricity.

According to him, the government should focus on rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on expensive new projects.

“Nigeria cannot afford the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. I don’t think the road will go beyond Epe,” Duke said.

He also suggested that the project appeared to serve purposes beyond road construction.

“I think the road serves other purposes because I drove once on the road, and all I saw was land reclamation and all that,” he added.

Duke maintained that there is already a highway linking Lagos to Calabar and argued that improving the existing route would be a more practical and cost-effective option.

“There is already a road from Lagos to Calabar. I’ve driven from Lagos to Calabar several times. If the road is poor, fix it,” he said.

The former Cross River State governor further argued that public spending should reflect the country’s immediate needs, especially in sectors that directly impact citizens’ welfare.

“There are some expenditures we make that do not reflect the realities of our circumstances,” he stated.

He said the funds committed to the coastal highway could produce greater benefits if invested in improving electricity supply or strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system.

“The amount spent on that road could be better spent providing electricity or upgrading the healthcare system,” he said.

Duke also expressed concern over what he described as inadequate funding for the health sector, claiming that the amount released for healthcare capital projects was insufficient for a country with a population of more than 230 million people.

He added that the education sector is similarly underfunded and requires greater government attention.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway remains one of the Federal Government’s flagship infrastructure projects, with officials maintaining that it will boost economic activities, improve connectivity and stimulate long-term development across Nigeria’s coastal corridor.