Ebiseni asks Tinubu to review Lagos-Calabar coastal highway alignment in Ondo

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Secretary-General of Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to review the alignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Ondo State, alleging that the current route bypasses over 100 kilometres of the state’s oil-producing coastal communities.

In an open letter addressed to the president on behalf of the affected communities, Ebiseni described the alteration as inconsistent with the original vision of the project, warning that excluding the coastal settlements would deny them the expected economic and developmental benefits.

He also dismissed claims that ecological challenges justified the change in alignment, insisting that the coastal corridor had long been suitable for major infrastructure projects.

Ebiseni said, “Mr President, the vision behind the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is for it to remain a true coastal road. The decision to bypass more than 100 kilometres of Ondo’s oil-producing coastline is difficult for our people to understand.”

He maintained that historical records showed the route was accessible, noting that British colonial authorities erected telegraph poles and cables along the coastal corridor between 1899 and 1904, while other large-scale developments had also been successfully executed on similar terrain.

“We urge Your Excellency not to be persuaded by any ecological argument for excluding our communities. If such infrastructure could exist over a century ago, there is no reason this historic highway should not pass through the coastline as originally conceived,” he added.

The Afenifere chieftain further argued that the present alignment, which he said had already reached parts of Ondo State away from the Atlantic coastline, would deprive Ilaje and neighbouring communities of the economic opportunities associated with the project. He further proposed that the highway should traverse the Ondo coastline before linking Delta and other Niger Delta states.

Ebiseni expressed hope that Tinubu would intervene to ensure the project reflected its original objective, adding that the president’s legacy would be better preserved if the highway connected the coastal communities it was designed to serve.