By Track News Online
Bayelsa Governor Insists Coastal Road Must Not Be Merged With East-West Road, Says South-South Governors Are United in Their Position
TRACKNEWS ONLINE | POLITICS
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has launched a scathing response to former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, over his comments on the feasibility of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, declaring that he will not allow Bayelsa State to be portrayed as an undevelopable swamp.
Diri also revealed that he disagreed with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, over reports that the coastal highway could be realigned with the East-West Road, insisting that both projects must proceed independently.
The governor disclosed this on Thursday during the 200th session of the Bayelsa State Executive Council at Government House, Yenagoa, according to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah.
DIRI REVEALS DISAGREEMENT WITH UMAHI
Explaining his position on the coastal highway, Diri said he personally contacted the Minister of Works after reading reports about the proposed realignment of the project with the East-West Road.
According to the governor, he told Umahi that the coastal highway and the East-West Road were two distinct projects that should not be merged.
“I agree with you that the East-West Road should be reconstructed. It is called the East-West Road, but its reconstruction should not take the place of the coastal road,” Diri said.
He maintained that the coastal highway must continue alongside the reconstruction of the East-West Road, stressing that coastal communities had already embraced the project.
Diri further stated that he communicated the position of the South-South Governors’ Forum to Umahi, speaking both as governor of Bayelsa State and chairman of the regional governors’ forum.
He insisted that the coastal highway was a long-standing demand of the Niger Delta and should not be abandoned or altered in a manner that undermines its original purpose.
‘DONALD DUKE, I AM NOT THAT FELLOW’
The Bayelsa governor also took aim at Duke over his assessment of the coastal highway’s feasibility, particularly his reported use of Bayelsa’s swampy terrain as an example of the challenges facing the project.
Diri expressed disappointment that a former governor from the South-South region would suggest that the highway was not feasible because of the geographical conditions in Bayelsa State.
He argued that the state’s terrain should not be used as a reason to discourage infrastructure development, pointing to ongoing road and bridge projects being undertaken by his administration.
The governor’s anger intensified over Duke’s reported reference to him as “that fellow.”
“Donald Duke, I am not that fellow. I am the sitting governor of Bayelsa State,” Diri declared.
He added that he did not expect Duke to know him personally but insisted that the office of an elected governor deserved respect, particularly from someone who had previously occupied the same position in another state.
Diri said his response was not motivated by a desire to trade insults but by the need to defend Bayelsa State and its people against what he considered a damaging narrative about the state’s development potential.
‘I AM A LOCAL CHAMPION’
Responding to Duke’s reported description of him as a local champion, Diri embraced the label, saying his responsibility was to represent the interests of the people who elected him.
“Yes, I am a local champion because that is where I was raised. I was elected to defend the local people. I was elected to champion their cause. I was elected to see possibilities where there seem to be impossibilities,” the governor said.
He challenged Duke to visit Bayelsa and see the infrastructure projects being executed in the state’s difficult terrain.
According to Diri, his administration has continued to build roads and bridges despite the financial and geographical challenges confronting the state.
He rejected suggestions that Bayelsa’s swampy environment made meaningful development impossible, describing such claims as false and unacceptable.
“Enough of this narrative that the Bayelsa environment cannot be developed. Oil and gas resources can be taken away from our land, but the land itself cannot be developed? That is a fat lie from the pit of hell, and we reject it,” he said.
DIRI ACCUSES DUKE OF FAILING TO DEFEND BAKASSI
The governor also criticised Duke’s record as former governor of Cross River State, bringing up the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon during Duke’s time in office.
Diri questioned Duke’s public criticism of the coastal highway, arguing that his own record in office should also be subjected to scrutiny.
He further criticised the former governor over the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort project, which he described as a white elephant, alleging that the debts associated with the project placed a heavy burden on Cross River State and successive administrations.
Diri also questioned Duke’s political relevance, referring to his presidential candidacy under the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and alleging that the party lacked elected representation at the councillorship level in Cross River State.
The remarks marked a sharp escalation in the exchange between the two former and serving governors over the coastal highway and the broader question of infrastructure development in the Niger Delta.
DIRI PRAISES TINUBU OVER COASTAL HIGHWAY
Despite his disagreement with Umahi over the reported realignment proposal, Diri praised President Bola Tinubu for initiating the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing it as an important infrastructure project for coastal communities.
He said the road held particular significance for Bayelsa State, the South-South region and the Ijaw nation, noting that the project had featured among longstanding demands by the Ijaw National Congress (INC).
According to the governor, the coastal highway represents an opportunity to address years of infrastructural neglect and improve connectivity for communities along Nigeria’s coastline.
Diri recalled presenting a document containing the INC’s demands during the political realignment involving his move from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said the construction of the coastal road was among the demands that had remained relevant since the military era.
“The very thought of it alone—that these coastal people should not continue to wallow in poverty and be dehumanised, and that they should not be seen as second-class citizens of this country—is commendable,” he said.
The governor argued that coastal communities deserved the same level of infrastructure development enjoyed by other parts of Nigeria.
He therefore urged the Federal Government to sustain the project, insisting that the East-West Road reconstruction must not be used as a substitute for the coastal highway.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The disagreement highlights growing debate over the route, feasibility and strategic importance of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, particularly its implications for states in the Niger Delta.
While Diri has expressed support for the project and praised Tinubu’s administration, he has drawn a clear distinction between backing the coastal highway and opposing any proposed arrangement that would merge it with the East-West Road.
His response to Duke has also shifted the debate beyond engineering and infrastructure planning to questions of regional representation, political accountability and the development potential of Bayelsa State.
For Diri, the central message is that the difficult terrain of the Niger Delta should not become an excuse for denying its people critical infrastructure.
TRACKNEWS ONLINE
Reporting Politics, Governance and Development Across Nigeria.