Appraisal of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, and Other Matters - THISDAYLIVE

Charles Aniagolu, the anchor of ARISE NEWS’ Prime Time, has turned the platform to a must view for curious watchers of national and global issues.

One always comes across many who confess the brilliance and professionalism he combines with a somewhat eclectic drive and creativity, to compel the ARISE NEWS’ citizens glued to the programme.

His engagement with Barrister Kingdom Nnamdi Okere over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was revealing. Aniagolu’s DNA, a chip off the legendary Supreme Court Justice Anthony Aniagolu, who chaired the Constituent Assembly of 1988 that drew the draft proposal for the Third Republic Constitution, was once more manifest  in the way he moderated the interview and conversation.

Okere, a human rights lawyer was in his elements figuratively swearing he would give the Tinubu administration a devastating sliding tackle in the field of public opinion any day. He was already doing that asking Senator Dave Umahi to disclose the details of the multi-trillion contract driving the construction work of the super highway. Failure to do that would have devastating consequences, again from a figurative perspective. In between the arguments, one could see in the horizon of the ARISE NEWS’ screen, the unwinding, undulating stretch of the highway and vehicles making use of the road.

The Prime Time anchor reminded Okere that invoking the Freedom of Information  (FOI) Act was not synonymous with pouring invectives on the Minister of Works. What was procedurally defective in the contract award?,  Aniagolu asked. Okere said from the get-go, the award was defective: no bidding, no advertisement with a flouting of the Procurement Act. This is despite. Umahi’s repeated statements from the flag-off of the project till date, that due process was followed in awarding the contract for the execution of what he called a transformative project, describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a visionary and courageous leader. Unfortunately, Okere does not belong to this school of thought.

Aniagolu asked Okere if there was any evidence of misappropriation of funds in the execution of the 700 kilometer project. Is the Chagoury Group or Hi-Tech the only organisation professionally worthy of executing the contract? Okere asked.

Of course there are other contractors supporting the main project.

In all this one saw Okere struggling to climb the ladder of legal visibility hugely pioneered by Nigeria’s most famous legal luminary Gani Fawehinmi who standing in for Newswatch demystified Chief Rotimi Williams, otherwise called Timi the Law, and Nigeria’s No 2 legal luminary after Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Fawehinmi’s case bothered on an impugned integrity of Timi the Law by Newswatch, which he was out to debunk.

Fawehinmi also took on the military to prove that Col Akilu & Co had a hand in Dele Giwa’s death. He piled one controversial case after the other and fought the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on matters of principle. Instead of being conferred with the title of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), he was rewarded with a Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM).

Graduates of  the Gani Fawehinmi Chambers have distinguished themselves  as human rights crusaders. Femi Falana and Festus Keyamo stand out among the lot. Remember how Keyamo stood behind a student union activist Fryo following accusations linked to Bola Ige’s death, while Falana has to his credit numerous cases he successfully won at various times and as pro bono.

The Nigerian legal profession has a rich repertoire of members who remind us of courage and bravery in their fight to defend truth over falsehood, choosing light over darkness, fighting corruption in high places, while ensuring the serious business of statecraft is not abused by the players. The Okere generation of human rights advocates and anti-corruption campaigners putting the executive, the legislature and the judiciary on their toes, will have to work harder to do better.

On the issue on the ground, former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke has weighed in saying the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a fraud and would not go beyond Epe. A quick fact check on whether His Excellency Donald Duke, now presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), who made his mark in the development of tourism in Cross River State, actually made those statements confirmed he did. He stated the coastal highway would not go beyond Epe questioning its affordability and adding it was a misplaced priority.

As governor, Duke was exceptional in raising the tourist attraction potential of Cross River State with Tinapa as an export free zone. He also heavily marketed Africa’s biggest street party-the Calabar Carnival, whose market value about now will even be more enhanced by the arrival of the coastal highway, with other state governments across the country learning from him.

In his second term in office in 2007, I had the privilege of doing a comprehensive cover story on Calabar as a tourist attraction centre. Duke later invited my family for a documentary with Channels television.

We took part in the carnival, saw the historical sanctuary sites including the home of Mary Slessor, the Ekpe Fraternity halls and all the monuments reminding you why Calabar was once capital of colonial Nigeria. We ended up at the equally interesting holiday resort the Obudu Cattle Ranch. It was fun including President Obasanjo’s visit to declare Tinapa open.

Did the sponsors of the coastal highway have all these concepts in mind in arriving at Calabar as its take off point from the South-south?

Certainly a President Donald Duke in 2027 will not order the closure of the coastal highway for all the new opportunities it would open for tourism especially in Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. Yes educated and civilised argument, the type our sister Kemi Badenoch applies in her leadership of the opposition Conservative Party in the British parliament against the Labour Party is the way to go and the likes of Okere need to do more course work in the Gani Fawehinmi Academy just to push their luck harder

President Tinubu has a good reason to brand His Excellency Ambassador Gilbert Chagoury his partner in daring. The miracle city called Eko Atlantic stands as an eloquent testimony in the adventure series of daring.

This reporter undertook a tour of the project for an update, just to remind Okere where we are to date. The initial  30-kilometre portion of the road from Ahmadu Bello Way Victoria Island to the Lekki Deep Seaport has been completed and commissioned, while sand filling and construction work are ongoing for the remaining 17.47 kilometers with a cost profile of N1.067 trillion for the Phase One of the 47.47 project awarded under an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Financing (EPC&F) model with a cost estimate of N7. 5 billion for a kilometre of two standard lanes.

Currently about 167 kilometres are being actively constructed across different states such as Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Ogun State, with the total cost of expenditure for the road project pegged at $11billion to $13 billion  or N15 trillion.

If the superhighway is completed within the projected time frame of eight years, it would have beaten the completion  time of the 11.8 kilometer Third Mainland Bridge which many believe was a project of the Ibrahim Babangida regime, which actually started in the 1970s under different administrations and was completed by the military junta in 1990. It would also have beaten President Jonathan’s East-West Road currently lying comatose with a promise by the present administration it would complete the equally ambitious road project.

At 80 plus, Ambassador Chagoury has seen it all, for what shall it profit a man to inherit the earth and lose the kingdom of heaven? A philanthropist with decades of doing good in his native Lebanon where he has been involved in infrastructure development, building institutions and recreating civilisations, in America and elsewhere in the world where his donations to religious organisations, medical and educational institutions, that receive his support in the work they do, as ambassador and economic adviser to many African countries and back here in his chosen country with countless scores of philanthropic activities. At this moment he is giving back to Nigeria, what Nigeria has given to him, and a solid tourism route is one such gift.

Digging into our recent past the president called the super highway his bragging day as he flagged off the construction of the 700 kilometre highway.

In his earlier X account, Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, recounted the experience describing the president as “the man who had the vision to tame  the Atlantic and spring out a 10 million square meter city out of its bowels, the man who envisioned the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the Lekki Free Trade Zone, relished  the start of the coastal road.”

According to the president, the project would revolutionise transportation in Nigeria and bolster the unique economic strength of each zone.

President Tinubu also commended the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, for being diligent and for his efforts towards the qualitative execution of the strategic coastal highway project.

He applauded the Chairman of Hitech Construction Company, Ambassador Chagoury, and Engr. Ronald Chagoury, whose company is handling the project, for being worthy stakeholders and for believing in the future of Nigeria.

“Together, we worked to tame the Atlantic, and we turned a disaster into a great asset of value. We lost weight and took insults, but eventually, we tamed the Atlantic. We achieved our goals,” the President said, recounting how the indigenous company successfully executed a project to prevent the Atlantic Ocean from overrunning Victoria Island.

“Today is my day to boast. My bragging day. Today, I hold the bragging right”, he said

“The deal is done. The dream is realisable. The determination to build a nation of prosperity is possible. We said we would build this road, and we are determined to do it.

“Do not be afraid. We will do this road, and it will be a success for Nigeria, and we will do even more of this,” President Tinubu added.

He said the project would ensure that future generations have something memorable to treasure. It would be a while serving as a good precedent set for others to follow in the timely provision of world-class infrastructure.

As he put it: ”We have a road that will outlive all of us here. That is how to build the future. This project is more than a mere road. It is a symbol of hope, unity, and prosperity.

”It will connect communities, bring prosperity to people, and create opportunities for millions of our people. For our nation to excel, we just have to be bold and courageous in our endeavours,” the President said.

President Tinubu said it would provide direct employment for thousands of people and indirect jobs for tens of thousands.

He added that it will open economic opportunities for millions of people, fast-track economic development, provide 30 million people with improved access to production and marketing centres, even as it will facilitate the free movement of people.

He said the project will also complement the expansion of the country’s maritime industry in the wake of the recent decision by the United Nations to grant Nigeria an extension of its continental shelf by an additional 16,300 square kilometres.

The president said the country must take advantage of these opportunities, noting that the establishment of more export processing zones along the coastal states  was important in the economy’s developmental progress.

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