Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: My Disagreement with Umahi, Diri Speaks Out

• Labels Duke a jester, so-called national champion without base

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Diri, on Thursday, revealed his disagreement with Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

Diri also disclosed the position of the South-south governors on the project, insisting that they are unanimous in their support for the coastal road, and are against its re-alignment with the East-West road.

The governor was, however, unsparing in his response to the comments of former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, who he described as a jester, a pretender, and a politician without a base.

A statement by Diri’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said the governor spoke during the 200th session of the State Executive Council at Government House, Yenagoa.

The governor said in the statement, “I read, like everyone else, that there would be a re-alignment and that the coastal road would be merged with the East-West Road, which I do not believe is the same project. That should be a South-south road.

“I privately called the Minister of Works and said, ‘Honourable Minister, that is a no, no, no for us. These are two different projects.

“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.

“While you reconstruct the East-West Road, the coastal road must continue because you have already won the hearts of all the coastal states.’”

He stated that the discussion got to a point that they disagreed.

Diri stated, “I told him that, for me and my state, the coastal road must continue. He kept mentioning Mr. President’s name, and I felt that he was the implementer, and was the one who addressed the media. So, go back and tell Mr. President that this is the position of the governors of the South-south, because I also speak as Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum.”

On Duke, the Bayelsa State governor said he was perplexed watching a video clip of the former Cross River State governor speaking on the project on a television programme.

Diri expressed shock that a son of the South-south could describe the project as not feasible because, according to him, Bayelsa was a swamp.

He stated, “When I watched the video and listened to everything he said about the coastal road, what actually made me respond was the example he gave using my state, Bayelsa.

“He said the coastal road was not feasible, and his reason was that even the state capital of Bayelsa is a swamp. According to him, for the coastal road to pass through Bayelsa, 100 to 200 bridges would have to be constructed.”

The Bayelsa helmsman, who described Duke, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, as a pretender, said he did nothing as governor when the Bakassi Peninsula was ceded from Nigeria to Cameroon.

Dir stated, “You pretend to be a presidential candidate of PRP. There is not even a councillor from PRP in Cross River. Not even in your own ward. Yet, you pretend to be a presidential candidate so that at the end of the day you can be rehabilitated.

“You can continue to be your national and international champion without a nucleus, without a base.

“I advise you to go back and settle the huge debts hanging over the heads of generations yet unborn, debts that you incurred and passed on to successive governments in your state.

“Do not use Bayelsa State as an example of a place where roads cannot be built. You were in office when Bakassi was ceded out of Nigeria. But because you were not a local champion, you did nothing about it.

“Above all, Donald Duke, you embarked on a white-elephant called Tinapa. You took loans and incurred debts that you placed a huge burden on the people of Cross River State and every governor and government that succeeded you. That is because you were not a local champion.

“I believe you are more of a jester and a pretender. You pretend to be a presidential candidate, even though you have been out of government for over a decade – almost two decades.”

Diri explained that it was not in his character to engage in public disagreement or fight with people.

According to him, “I am not one of those who insult people. I do not insult leaders or elders. But what you have done is not just about me. It is about my environment and my people. I will always stand tall to defend this environment and the people of Bayelsa State.

“With our limited resources as a state government, we are building bridges and roads in the same swamp that he says cannot be developed. We are inviting him to come to Bayelsa since he has used our state as an example.”

The governor said in his earlier response, he had reminded Duke that it was the same swamps that produced the golden egg that fuelled the entire Nigerian economy.

He stated, “Yet, after that press statement, which I asked my Chief Press Secretary to issue, the former governor of Cross River State went back to say what I saw as more of an insult to my person. He started by saying, ‘That fellow.’

“Donald Duke, I am not that fellow. I am the sitting governor of Bayelsa State.

“He also said, I do not even know that fellow. But I do not want you to know me from Adam, and I do not know you just as you do not know me.

“Hear me well: I am not that fellow. I am an elected, sitting governor of Bayelsa State, and I am very surprised that this is coming from a son of the Niger Delta and, more importantly, a former governor who should respect the office of a governor at all times.

“He did not stop there. He went on to say that, since I do not know him, he is a local champion.

“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.”

Diri said it was time to end the difficult terrain narrative about Bayelsa in relation to its development.

He said, “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.”

Diri praised President Bola Tinubu for the coastal highway project, saying it holds much significance for the Niger Delta people and the Ijaw nation, in particular.

He stated, “The coastal road is a very important, relevant and impactful project for every state along the coastline, particularly for us in the South-south and Bayelsa State.

“If you recall, on the day we were all crossing over from PDP to APC, I brought out a document containing the demands of the Ijaw National Congress (INC). One of the major demands, dating back to the military era, was the construction of the coastal road. These were some of the relevant issues that made some of us decide to say, ‘okay, let us go.’

“I like to seize this opportunity to thank Mr. President. 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.

“If we can have roads in the north and other parts of the country, then the coastal road should also be built. The very idea of it is a big plus for Mr. President and his administration. I welcome it with both hands.”