Elder Statesman and Convener of the South-South Reawakening Group, Joseph Ambakederimo, has proposed allocating 50,000 barrels of crude oil daily to fund the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, insisting that the project must follow its original route to Calabar and traverse all states in the South-South region.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Ambakederimo said Nigeria had the resources to finance the project and rejected any plan to divert or realign the coastal highway with the East-West Road.
“That’s on the priority. Then the funding, we’re talking about that we don’t have the money. Who said we don’t have the money? Nigeria has the money. Allocate 50,000 barrels of crude oil every day. And pay. And get it done. I think that project should go on, should progress as per the original design, to having it at the Kalaba end, traversing all the states in the South-South geopolitical zone. There shouldn’t be any form of diversion, negotiation.”
He said the federal government should use crude oil resources to fund the project rather than abandon its original design over concerns about cost. “There is so much oil and gas in Nigeria, so why can we not harness these resources to build, to develop Nigeria? What is holding us back?”
Ambakederimo cited the Third Mainland Bridge as an example of how Nigeria had financed major infrastructure projects with crude oil. “The Third Mainland Bridge was paid with crude oil. Part of this payment was made to that company, Boju’s Construction Company.”
He also urged the federal government to retain the coastal highway as a separate route alongside the East-West Road. “ I posted on my LinkedIn handle when somebody posted the Minister’s briefing. I said, no, Mr. Minister, we want to see the coastal road side-by-side the East-West road. We want to see that happen. Not to do any alignment. Alignment of what? Where? We need that coastal road.”
Ambakederimo said the project had been on the drawing board for many years and questioned why its route was being reconsidered when the government had an opportunity to deliver it.
“And that road has been on the drawing board for so many years. So many, many years. So why at this time, that a government that has come to listen to the pleas of the people would not want to revise themselves? It doesn’t make sense.”
He also rejected the description of the South-South as difficult terrain. “ I don’t want to hear it. I don’t like it, because I know with engineering, with the modern technology, you can build on any kind of environment and make progress for your people.”
On concerns about environmental impact, Ambakederimo said feasibility studies should guide the project and called on engineers to review the plans rather than divert the route.
“I believe the feasibility of that road has been done. We know the processes of building roads, infrastructure, all over the world. Pure and concrete feasibility would have been done. So let the engineers go back to the drawing board.”
He said the South-South Reawakening Group would continue engaging the federal government and other stakeholders to ensure the coastal highway was completed as originally planned. “So we’ll talk to the federal government, let them come, sit with us, look at it again. Even from our region, we have engineers, we have architects, professionals that can sit down with the government and design these roads for us to have the coastal road that we deserve.”
Ambakederimo also argued that Nigeria needed to increase crude oil production to fund development and meet the needs of its growing population. “For Nigeria to sustain development stride, going forward, to make everybody’s citizens happy, we must produce nothing less than 5 million barrels per day. What are they giving 3 million barrels per day? They don’t even know what they are doing, if they are saying that. The size of this country and the growing population, we need 5 million barrels per day. And Nigeria can unlock it.”
On the Ogoni question and efforts to increase oil production, Ambakederimo said. “I think Mr. President is not being properly informed of what is going on in Ogoniland. The president is not properly informed. Therefore, it will be difficult for him to make very sound pronouncements and the proper way forward.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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