Aug 5, 2026

Duke Slams Lagos-Calabar Highway as Unaffordable Vanity Project

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in news

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Former Cross River State Governor and People’s Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a project Nigeria simply cannot afford, warning that the multi-trillion-naira road is unlikely to progress beyond Epe in Lagos State.

Speaking on ARISE News’ Prime Time programme on Tuesday, Duke argued that the country already has a road corridor linking Lagos to Calabar. “If the road is poor, fix it,” he said.

“There are some expenditures we make that do not reflect the realities of our circumstances. The amount spent on that road could be better spent providing electricity or upgrading the healthcare system.”

Duke’s remarks come amid intense public debate over the 700-kilometer coastal highway, one of the signature infrastructure projects of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Officials have projected costs in the region of $12 billion to over N15 trillion, with sections already under construction and significant land acquisition and compensation issues in Lagos and other states.

Critics have long questioned the high per-kilometer cost, funding arrangements that have included off-budget spending, and the decision to prioritize a brand-new coastal route while many existing federal highways remain in poor condition.

The former governor, who is positioning himself for a 2027 presidential run, framed the project as an example of misplaced national priorities at a time when Nigerians continue to face erratic power supply, a strained healthcare system, and widespread economic hardship.

He insisted that public spending must better match the country’s current realities rather than pursue large-scale projects that may not deliver timely or widespread benefits.

Duke’s comments have quickly drawn both support and pushback online. Some Nigerians echoed his view that fixing existing roads and investing in electricity and hospitals would deliver more immediate relief.

Others defended the highway as a necessary long-term investment in connectivity, trade, and regional development, pointing to progress already recorded in some sections and arguing that infrastructure creates the wealth needed to fund other sectors.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway remains one of the most closely watched and contested projects of the current administration.

As economic pressures persist and the 2027 elections draw nearer, voices like Duke’s are adding fresh political weight to the debate over what Nigeria can realistically afford and where scarce resources should go first.