The House of Representatives has asked the federal government to retain the original route of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway through Ondo State and Escravos–Ogheye–Ugborodo corridor in Delta State.
The green chamber passed the resolution on Wednesday
following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Thomas Ereyitomi, lawmaker
representing Warri north/Warri south/Warri west federal constituency in Delta.
David Umahi, minister of works, had said the Lagos-Calabar
coastal highway would be re-routed through the existing East-West road from
Ondo into Edo state.
The minister said the decision was informed by flooding
challenges along the East-West road, particularly around the Ughelli axis in
Delta state, adding that it was intended to prevent the construction of a new
alignment along the corridor.
Ereyitomi told the parliament on Wednesday that the proposed
realignment could undermine the highway’s original connectivity plan and deny
coastal communities access to the project’s economic benefits.
He said the planned realignment bypasses the riverine
communities of Delta, particularly the Ogheye–Orere–Ugborodo–Escravos corridor,
which hosts the Chevron tank farm and Escravos gas-to-liquids (EGTL) plant, and
other coastal communities which host strategic oil and gas infrastructure and
other vital domestic flow stations that contribute significantly to Nigeria’s
crude oil exports, foreign exchange earnings, energy supply, and national
economic development.
The lawmaker said retaining the original coastal alignment
of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway would strengthen access to these critical
economic hubs, improve the movement of personnel, equipment, and commercial
goods, support the development of connecting roads and related infrastructure,
and broaden the highway’s potential economic benefits.
“Any assessment of alternative alignments should consider
the full costs of construction, including additional road distance, bridges,
ground improvement, environmental mitigation, compensation, flood resilience,
and long-term maintenance, while recognising that specialised engineering
solutions, including soil stabilisation, geosynthetics, piled foundations,
reinforced embankments, and elevated viaducts, may offer potential options for
addressing difficult terrain, subject to site-specific technical and environmental
assessments,” he said.
Contributing to the debate, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, lawmaker
from Rivers, criticised the proposed realignment and said that it could deprive
coastal communities of the benefits promised by the project.
Abiante questioned whether the government would cite
difficult terrain as a reason to avoid the same areas if it were involved in
crude oil extraction.
He said Umahi should appear before parliament to explain the
decision, adding that his constituency had not been given any environmental
impact assessment for the project.
The legislator expressed doubts that the house committee on
works would “adequately” probe the matter.
But Benjamin Kalu, the presiding officer, cut him short and
demanded that Abiante withdraw his comment questioning the committee’s
competence.
Abiante later clarified that the committee should consider
the interests of affected communities and base its recommendations on a clear
understanding of why the realignment was necessary.
On his part, Mark Esset, a lawmaker from Akwa Ibom, proposed
that the ministry of works should submit the highway’s environmental impact
assessment to the house.
He said the assessment would help identify potential
environmental challenges and outline measures to address them before
construction proceeds.
Ademorin Kuye, Lagos lawmaker, also proposed that where the
main dual carriageway diverts inland because of deep water pits and unstable
terrain, reinforced coastal feeder roads should be constructed to reconnect
isolated maritime and fishing communities to the highway.
The lawmakers unanimously adopted the motion and the
proposals when Kalu called for a voice vote.
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