The Ondo State chapter of the Young Advocates for Good Governance (YAGG) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider the Federal Government’s massive investment in the proposed 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing the project as a misplaced priority amid the country’s numerous infrastructural challenges.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the group’s Ondo State Coordinator, Kingsley Adegbami, and General Secretary, Idowu Oluwalana, YAGG advised the President to channel available resources towards rehabilitating existing federal roads rather than embarking on what it described as an expensive project with questionable economic value.
The group also urged the President’s aides to advise him against criticising state governors over the construction of flyovers, insisting that such projects address genuine transportation and economic needs in their respective states.
According to YAGG, rather than faulting governors for investing in road infrastructure, the President should reassess some of his administration’s policies, which it alleged are driven more by political considerations than national development.
The organisation further alleged that public funds were being deployed for political purposes, including attempts to undermine elected governors, arguing that such actions contribute little to governance while diverting scarce resources from projects that directly benefit Nigerians.
YAGG, however, commended Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, for commencing the construction of the 2.3-kilometre Oba-Adesida Flyover in Akure, describing the project as one that would ease traffic congestion, attract investment, create jobs and stimulate economic activities in the state capital.
The group questioned why the Federal Government did not apply the same standard it used in criticising state flyover projects before embarking on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
It argued that the estimated ₦15 trillion earmarked for the coastal highway could significantly improve the country’s transport network if invested in the rehabilitation of existing federal highways.
YAGG also raised concerns over the award of the coastal highway contract to HITECH Construction Company Limited, alleging that there was no competitive bidding process before the contract was awarded.
The group maintained that with thousands of kilometres of federal roads in deplorable condition across the country, the Federal Government should prioritise rehabilitating critical road infrastructure that serves millions of Nigerians daily.
It called on governments at all levels to ensure that public resources are deployed transparently, prudently and in ways that directly improve the welfare of citizens, stressing that accountability and good governance should remain the guiding principles of public spending.
