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The Federal Government has been criticized by Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
On Monday, Obi used his verified X handle to post a statement expressing his concerns.
He claims that there is a serious problem with the many abandoned roads that are dispersed throughout the nation and that many of them have turned into dangerous death traps and security hazards.
According to him, starting a new, massive project that won't be finished in the next 20 or 30 years will only make the issue of abandoned, unfinished projects that don't support general development and economic growth worse.
Obi suggested that given the state of the nation’s economy, prioritization and fiscal discipline should be the critical guiding principles, insisting that the project will worsen the already sagging debt burden.
The former Anambra State governor said most of those uncompleted roads have been under construction for several years and are unlikely to be completed any time soon due to poor and unplanned funding.
He said,“I have closely followed the comments and developments arising from the coastal (Lagos-Calabar) Super highway Project.
“While I’m hesitant to engage in contentious debates about its benefits, which I acknowledge, and the pricing, which I have serious concerns about, and believe should be thoroughly reviewed, I am compelled to raise essential questions about the timing and prioritization of such a monumental venture.
“At the forefront of my concerns is the pressing issue of numerous uncompleted roads scattered across the country, many of which have become hazardous death traps and security risks.
“Most of these roads, vital for economic growth, regional connectivity, and overall development, have been under construction for several years if not decades now and are unlikely to be completed any time soon due to poor and unplanned funding.”
“The Federal Ministry of Works 2024 capital budget of N892,461,262,656.00, additional funding from multilateral loan projects of N94,828,535,243.00, alongside other expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads, some of which I enumerated above, let alone their completion.
“So, why embark on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years? To do so will only exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development.”
