President Bola Tinubu has officially flagged off the 65km three-lane dual carriageway of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Speaking while unveiling the project on Tuesday, Tinubu highlighted the importance of the project, describing the economic benefits it will bring to the state as enormous.
The President, who was represented by the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, said the project, when completed, would foster national unity and integration, adding that it is one of the key components of his Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.
Tinubu said, “I want to say that great leaders think big and shy away from playing politics with projects that have enduring values. I agree with people that if you want to build the economy, build roads and roads. Road infrastructure is key catalyst for the growth and development of any Nation. It creates ease of movement of goods of services.
“It stimulates interstate movement and improves the quality of life of the people. This is my vision for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. Now we are in section three A and B, respectively, which link Akwa Ibom and Cross River. The economic benefits it will bring to the people of these two states are enormous.”
Eno, who also spoke in his capacity as governor of the state, commended Tinubu for including Akwa Ibom as one of the benefiting states of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, stressing that his administration will support the project to successful completion.
The governor described Tinubu as a de-tribalized leader, assuring that the President deserves to complete his eight years in office to enable him to complete the good works he has started.
“I want to thank Mr President for approving and embarking on this audacious project that is bound to unleash and expand our economic horizon and open up our hitherto unreachable parts of our nation for easy movement of goods and services. I want to express the sentiments of the people of Akwa Ibom State for allowing the project to pass through here. It could have gone elsewhere, so it is not a right, and we don’t take it for granted.
“I thank Mr President for thinking well of people, particularly those of us in the coastal areas of this country so as to be able to move our goods and services to urban communities and urban centres. Let me end by assuring our people loving President who will complete eight years because we are going to stand by him, and this is the truth. He cannot start this work and abandon it. Somebody else may not finish it.
“The Bible says who is this mountain that is standing before Zerubabel, the hand that has started doing this work, the hand will complete it. Our prayer is to pray for Mr President for good health to complete that which he has started so that it will not be abandoned like the East-West road”.
In his remarks, Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, lauded President Tinubu for building a nation where no one will be oppressed, adding that under President Bola Tinubu, there is freedom in Nigeria
He also appreciated Governor Eno for building roads, adding that it is the governor’s emphasis on road construction that brought all the people here today to flag off the famous Coastal Calabar highway is right in this place.
“Let me say, sir, you are benefiting twice, this project is not just passing through the airport, it’s also passing through the new company, Qua Refinery, you have attracted to the state and is also passing through many of your existing roads
“You are going to have fly overs, who else could have done this than President Bola Tinubu, the man that dreamt of this project 27 years ago when he was governor of Lagos state”
The minister disclosed that following complaints by Governor Eno and his counterpart in Cross River State, Governor Bassey Otu, over the deplorable condition of the Calabar-Itu road, the President has ordered that HITECH Construction mobilise to the site.
He assured that the road would become motorable in the next two months.