A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has praised the government of President Bola Tinubu over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing it as a “wow.”
Despite the praise for the Tinubu government, Sowunmi declared that he is not a part of the administration and does not hold brief for the government.
He, however, said Nigerians must not allow political differences and anger to blind them to the goodness of the project.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on ARISE News, the PDP chieftain stated that the infrastructural initiative is necessary for the country’s transformational development.
Naijaonpoint reports that he called for a timely completion of the project.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, by every stretch of imagination, is a fantastic vision. And I think they will deliver it on time.”
“Let me put some context to it, because sometimes in this country, people can easily tar everybody with one brush. I have by no means joined his government, and I’m not speaking for him,” he said.
Sowunmi added that he requested information from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to gain firsthand experience after hearing the complaints of some Nigerians about the ongoing Lagos-Calabar road work.
He added that the project tour invitation came after he had made his request.
He said, “I had sat in one of the saloons in Abuja having a haircut, and I listened to the agony of some young people talking about the Maraba Road.
“I sent a text to the minister to say, sir, I would like to give you some feedback and ask you some questions.”
“He said he was on his way out of town and would it be okay if I came to Lagos to look at the coastal road?”
The PDP chieftain said what he saw during the tour can stand side by side with international standards obtainable in countries with big coastal economies.
“The scale of that project was wow. It was totally wowing.
“If you’ve ever been to any of the coastal cities in the world, like, you know, Dubai and some of the areas where they have big coastal economy… one of the things that we have had to do, which we are now doing, is to build a coastal infrastructure that can give them a bit of an opportunity to drive fast…and also have the opportunity of the coastal economy that gives you resorts, waterfronts, and all of that,” he said.
Compensation
Sowunmi added that some people are making unsubstantiated compensation claims, stating that what he saw during the project tour revealed little evidence of unjust displacement.
He urged Nigerians to support the project in good faith.
“That area where some woman had said she had put in some infrastructure to get $250,000 or $1 million was one of the places where I wanted to see.
“I saw that there was nothing there and I think what they need to really do is actually charge her to court or get the people that she has taken money from in Europe to take her to court to come and justify whatever money she claims she has done there.”
“We must be careful not to assume that all of our glamorisation of corruption in our country has not been the reason why everywhere we go we don’t want to see value.
“Let us accept that while they’re being charged, we can’t be the one auditing them on the job. Our duty is to insist that what they want to do gets done,” he said.
He concluded with a call for Nigerians to ignore politics and support verified government developmental projects.
“Close your eyes for a second and try to imagine if you have that coastal road running all the way and you have the linkages in Makurdi and all of the other areas where they’re going to connect them.
“We can all accept that if we choose democracy, elections will come in circles… but we must not allow hate and anger to blind us to progress,” Sowunmi concluded.
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