The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has rejected what it describes as moves to alter the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway from its original blueprint.
Briefing journalists at its National Secretariat at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa, IYC President Dr. Doubra Okotete stated that the pan-Ijaw socio-cultural youth body will not accept any diversion of the road to the East-West Road starting from Ondo State. Such a move, he noted, would unjustifiably cut off Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers States from the original coastal alignment.
Dr. Okotete described recent statements attributed to the Minister of Works regarding the diversion as unfortunate, calling directly on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the initial Federal Executive Council-approved design is maintained. He emphasized that Niger Delta states—which generate the bulk of the oil and gas resources sustaining the nation—must not be marginalized from such a critical national infrastructure project.
Dismissing claims of difficult terrain and high costs as untenable excuses, the IYC President pointed out that state governments in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta are already successfully executing capital-intensive projects across challenging swamps and rivers to connect rural coastal communities. He argued that the Federal Government can and must do the same for the people of the region.
Furthermore, Dr. Okotete addressed comments made by former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate Donald Duke, who claimed on national television that the coastal highway continuation was not feasible due to geographical challenges. To set the record straight, the IYC leadership has invited Mr. Duke on an all-expenses-paid inspection tour of Bayelsa State. This would allow him to witness firsthand monumental ongoing feats such as the 21-kilometer Nembe-Brass Road—featuring over 15 bridges across Atlantic swamps—and the Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie Road project under Governor Douye Diri.
Concluding the briefing, the IYC urged the President and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to handle the matter with immediate urgency to preserve goodwill and support in the South-South geo-political zone as the January 2027 presidential election approaches.
