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<\/p>\nThe Committee of Lawyers and Stakeholders, under the guise of marginalisation and unfair exclusion of Ondo coastal communities from the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to urgently wade into the matter by calling the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to order.<\/p>\n
The group also assured that the full implementation of the project in line with its original master plan, which benefits the people of Ilaje community in Ondo State, would make them vote massively for President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dr. Benson Enikuomehin made the call while addressing newsmen alongside committee members and other stakeholders on the matter at his chambers in the Ebute-Metta area of Lagos.<\/p>\n
The senior lawyer said they had been appealing to the aggrieved people of Ilaje not to embark on any protest, believing that President Tinubu would intervene swiftly. He also challenged the Minister to open a debate on what he described as the ill-informed steps taken on the construction project.<\/p>\n
According to him, the injustice and orchestrated marginalisation against the Ilaje people began when an additional 100 kilometres was added to the initial 700-kilometre stretch to accommodate Edo State at all costs in the coastal highway project.<\/p>\n
Enikuomehin made it clear that the group had nothing against Edo State but insisted that any state that does not fall within the coastal area of the country should not benefit from the project at the expense of coastal communities.<\/p>\n
He said that, under the original concept of the coastal highway, it would take one hour and 20 minutes to travel by road from Lagos to Ondo, wondering why the Minister decided to deny the state a major economic benefit from the Federal Government.<\/p>\n
Dr. Enikuomehin vowed that the group would go to court as a last resort if the Minister refused to listen to the aggrieved people of Ilaje community and reverse his decision on the project.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that something was truly wrong with the decision, which, he suggested, could be due to inducement or bias, as the Minister had allegedly left the coastal area of Ondo and diverted the highway into Edo, where, according to him, there is no coastline along the proposed route.<\/p>\n
The lawyer explained to journalists that the argument by the Minister that the road would cost more if it traversed Ilaje community due to the terrain was untenable, adding that the diversion would cost more than double the amount required for the original route.<\/p>\n
He said the detour into Edo was about 130 to 150 kilometres and could cost up to \u20a612 billion to construct about 11 kilometres, instead of the original 60 to 75-kilometre route through Ondo State, which, he claimed, would cost about \u20a67 billion.<\/p>\n
He described the action of Dave Umahi as a calculated attempt to marginalise the people of the coastal area of Ondo State, which he said was contrary to Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.<\/p>\n
The group concluded that Ondo State would be doomed forever if the coastal road bypassed the state, saying they would not keep quiet but would remain peaceful and follow all necessary steps to realise their demands.<\/p>\n
He therefore renewed his call on the Governor, ministers, National Assembly members and traditional rulers from the state to rise to the occasion and defend the rights of the people of Ondo State.<\/p>\n
The communities affected by the alleged diversion by the Minister, including Ugbonla, Ilowo, Ilepete, Obe-Enikanoselu, Obe-Rewoye, Ikorigho, Jinrinwo, Awaye and Igbo, are currently lacking major social amenities but believe that the coastal road will open the area to the world.<\/p>\n
The coastal highway, which has been in the plans since the 1970s, begins from Ahmadu Bello Way in Lagos and will pass through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states before ending in Calabar.<\/p>\n
However, the inclusion of Edo State, with an additional 100 kilometres, has become a major concern that is likely to deny the people of Ilaje community in Ondo State the benefits of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.<\/p>\n
The project is intended to physically connect the western and south-eastern regions of Nigeria to improve cross-country connectivity and trade relations among the people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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