…targets reconciliation within the Group.
The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has rejected change in the alignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway by the Federal Government, describing the development as problematic and inconsistent with earlier proposals.
Addressing newsmen in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Afenifere Secretary General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, said the realignment is unacceptable to the people of Ondo and other coastal states.
Ebiseni noted that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has long-standing historical roots dating back to colonial times.
“We have archival records showing that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was proposed as far back as 1900 when the Ilaje coastal territory of present-day Ondo State was still part of the Lagos Colony,” he said. “A telegraphic line had already connected Lagos through Ilaje to Warri along the Atlantic corridor.”
He further referenced a colonial agreement signed in January 1904 between Sir William Macgregor, then Governor of Lagos Colony, and Sir Wyndham Roseberry of the Southern Protectorate, which outlined the coastal alignment of the route.
While commending President Bola Tinubu for initiating the current phase of the project, Ebiseni cautioned against deviating from the coastal alignment, especially in oil-producing regions.
“There is growing concern following statements by the Minister of Works suggesting the road would no longer follow the coastline from Ondo to Delta and other states. This raises questions and dissatisfaction among communities along the original alignment,” he stated.
He emphasized that many of the advantages associated with the project — including economic opportunities — lie within the undeveloped coastal regions outside Lagos.
