By FRANCIS EWHERIDO
I had written this article when the controversy started over the award of the contract for the construction of the Lagos-Calabar highway and decided to archive it. Since the controversy seems to be unending, here is my take. It is from three perspectives: as a Niger Deltan, a Lagosian and a Nigerian. I have been hearing of the proposed expressway for a while, but it really came into my consciousness around 2009. Someone I considered as a friend, no, “brother,” approached me with the idea of buying acres of land to build an estate near the proposed Lagos-Calabar Expressway.
I did not bother with due diligence because beyond the closeness, he is a lawyer and property owner in Lagos. I felt secured enough. He introduced us (there was another subscriber) to a property agent he claimed had an enormous reputation for buying large portions of land for oil company and multinational workers and cooperatives, etc. We went to see the land and areas marked for the expressway. “From here, three hours we don reach Delta through Koko,” he told me. For someone who prefers travelling from Lagos to Delta State by road, that was music to my ears.
They showed us the survey plan of the land and we made payments. At some point, the initiator (lawyer) who introduced us to the agent suddenly pulled out of the deal, citing insults from another subscriber due to his (lawyer) inability to meet up with his own payment. The rest of us had already put our money in the transaction. We paid for survey for each plot and were at the point of meeting the baale of the village. A health challenge came up and I could not follow up immediately. By the time I was ready, the phone numbers of the agent were off. I drove to his office in Lagos Island. A major online sales company had taken over his office space. I went online. Nothing came up in my search.
I sent all the documents I had through another lawyer to Alausa, Ikeja, for verification. They were all fake. I checked all the evidence of the transactions in my possession. They all bore the agent’s name. “To ensure transparency,” our go-between “as a lawyer” had advised us to do everything directly with the agent who had vanished into thin air till date. There was nothing linking the lawyer with the transactions. We lost our investment and the dream of a massive appreciation in value of our property in future. He lost nothing because his name means nothing to him. Left in the lurch, I went home licking my wounds. I suspect a collusion between him and the agent looking back now. Anyway, I am sharing my experience to warn people going into investment in properties that scammers abound. You can’t be too careful.
But my personal loss did not diminish my interest in this project. When former President Goodluck Jonathan became head of state, I thought he would prioritise the construction of this road, especially since the Niger Delta, where the bulk of the wealth of Nigeria comes from, stands to benefit substantially from the construction of this road. I was very disappointed that he did nothing about the road in his five years as president. I count that as a major failing of his presidency. The road is important to the oil producing states in Nigeria: Rivers, Delta, Edo, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa State and Ondo states.
Moreover, it is a major alternate route from Lagos to the Niger Delta. To date it is shocking that there is only one route from Lagos to the Niger Delta, more so when this route is shared with the heavy vehicular traffic going to the East. Once there is a problem with that road, everybody is stuck. I remember once when we travelled from Houston to Boerne in the US. We used the main expressway. On our way back, Google Map took us through another route. Until we got to the gate of the house, we never used any of the roads we took to Boerne. I was blown away. We are way behind in terms of road and rail infrastructure. In fact, transportation infrastructure generationally, but the coastal road is a step in the right direction.
That is why I am in full support of the Tinubu administration’s efforts to transform the transportation sector. Our roads, railways and air transportation need serious upgrade. The coastal road is part of the works going on in our roads today. If you travel abroad, you will be shocked how far behind we are, but I always tell people that “na when you wake up be your morning.” Better late than never, but we must hasten up. All state governments also need to develop the transport infrastructure in their states.
It is shocking that work is just starting on a road that was conceived 50 years. It was not as if the road was conceived for the future. The Lagos to Benin road has been the only road linking the Niger Delta and Eastern Nigeria to Western Nigeria from time; so construction of this road should have started shortly after its conception. I know the commencement of the road has been shrouded in controversy. Prominent and some other Nigerians have criticised the cost of the road project. The most recent criticism came from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in one of his latest books to mark his 88th birthday. I do not have the knowledge of how much it would cost to construct such a coastal road; so I leave that for experts. Others said it did not follow due process. They should tackle the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on that. Government should adequately compensate those whose properties were affected.
The road is for the general good. It will open up the coastal areas of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom. These coasts have many beaches; so I see an explosion in tourism and other economic activities. I salivate because the explosion in economic activities will be unbelievable. The coastal road is key to unlocking a multi-billion-naira economy. It will create thousands of jobs in these states, thus reducing unemployment and crime. While crime remains a condemnable act, some of the youngsters currently involved in criminal activities will refrain from crime if they are involved in legit economic activities.
Critics also argue that the route of the Lagos part of the coastal road is primarily for the benefit of the Eko Atlantic City, which is a brainchild of the president when he was Lagos State Governor. I will not dispute it, but the Lekki axis needs this road. The government was short-sighted in having only one major road linking Victoria Island to Lekki. There ought to have been three major roads ab initio. The Lagos axis of the coastal road will ease the suffocating traffic in Lekki. Whatever shortcomings there are, the coastal road is a game changer. Whatever issues should be resolved. You don’t throw away a baby with the bath water. I am a long-time, strong advocate for this. I am all for it.
*Ewherido, an insurance executive and Vanguard columnist, wrote from Lagos
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