…Wants attention on abandoned projects
The National leader of the Labour Party Mr Peter Obi has added his voice to the controversy surrounding the planned Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, and said that it will be potential benefits to the country but it is not a priority.
Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had earlier criticised the project, pointing out that the cost is too high, and it did not pass through competitive bidding before project was awarded to the contractor.
Obi in a post on his X platform on Monday, also expressed concern about the cost and questioned its timing, in view of some other existing abandoned and uncompleted road projects scattered across the country.
“At the forefront of my concerns is the pressing issue of numerous uncompleted roads scattered across the country, many of which have become hazardous death traps and security risks.
“It is disheartening to witness the plight of innocent Nigerians who traverse these dilapidated roads under perilous conditions, vulnerable to kidnappers and other dangers,” he stated.
Obi who was the Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023, regretted that these roads which he said are “vital for economic growth, regional connectivity, and overall development, have been under construction for several years if not decades now and are unlikely to be completed any time soon due to poor and unplanned funding.”
He listed a number of abandoned road projects, noting that the over N892.5 billion set aside by the Federal Ministry of Works in its 2024 capital budget, with an additional N94.8 billion funding from multilateral loan projects, as well as “expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads … let alone their completion.”
He wondered why the Federal Government decided to embark on another huge project that would not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years.
To do so, according to him, will exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects.
“It will merely worsen our already sagging debt burden,” Obi warned and called for fiscal discipline and prioritisation of needs.
Said him, “I urge prioritisation of our existing uncompleted projects.
“We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure, crucial for the well-being and safety of our society, before embarking on new projects, no matter their perceived benefits.
“Let’s prioritise the urgent needs of our people and ensure that our investments serve the collective good of the nation.”
Obi further advised that the “primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years.”
