Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has repeatedly appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and Hitech Construction Company to adjust the alignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road to cover Ilaje and Ese-Odo communities, the Chairman of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Prince Biyi Poroye, has said.
Poroye disclosed this while calling for urgent Federal Government intervention in the oil-producing coastal areas, noting that the governor had consistently raised concerns over the exclusion of the communities from the highway’s current design.
He urged federal ministers and lawmakers from Ondo State to support the governor’s efforts by engaging relevant authorities to ensure that the affected communities benefit from the project.
“I can confirm authoritatively that Governor Aiyedatiwa has, on several occasions, consistently appealed to the President, the Minister of Works and Hitech Construction Company to reconsider the current design of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road to accommodate other axes of the coastal region,” Poroye said.
The OSOPADEC chairman warned against turning the controversy into political blame-trading, stressing that the welfare and development of residents in Ilaje and Ese-Odo should take precedence over partisan interests.
He called on the state’s representatives at the National Assembly and federal appointees to intensify consultations with the Minister of Works and other relevant authorities to secure a review of the road alignment.
Poroye also urged the Federal Government to consider a comprehensive special intervention package for the coastal communities if the highway could not be extended to adequately serve the affected areas.
He said the proposed intervention should cover shoreline protection, road construction, dredging of waterways, flood control and other essential infrastructure needed to address the persistent environmental and developmental challenges facing the communities.
The OSOPADEC chairman maintained that cooperation among the governor, federal ministers, senators and other stakeholders was crucial to securing lasting solutions and ensuring that Ondo’s coastal communities were not left behind in federal infrastructure development.
