Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has opposed any plan to substitute sections of the proposed Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway with the existing East–West Road, insisting that the two routes serve different purposes and should be developed separately.
Speaking at a State Executive Council meeting in Yenagoa, Diri said he had personally raised the matter with Minister of Works David Umahi and conveyed the position of South-South governors that the coastal highway should retain its original purpose of connecting communities along the coastline.
Diri, who chairs the South-South Governors’ Forum, said reconstruction of the East–West Road was necessary but should not replace a highway intended to open up long-neglected coastal settlements. He praised President Bola Tinubu for initiating the project and argued that difficult terrain should be treated as an engineering challenge rather than a reason to exclude Bayelsa.
The governor also sharply criticized former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke over televised comments questioning the feasibility of building through Bayelsa’s wetlands. Diri disputed the characterization of the state as too swampy for major road construction and pointed to bridges and roads being undertaken by his administration.
Their exchange became personal, with Diri attacking Duke’s political standing and record in office. Those political accusations are Diri’s claims and were not independently substantiated in the supplied account. Duke’s full response was not provided.
The disagreement highlights competing views over project costs, route design and whether the coastal highway can deliver the connectivity originally promised to oil-producing communities.
