Lagos, Nigeria: In a rare show of cross-party engagement, PDP chieftain Chief Segun Showunmi joined Minister of Works Sen. Dave Umahi and other stakeholders to inspect the ambitious Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Umahi stated during the inspection that there was a need for more Nigerians to be aware of the project to appreciate the efforts of President Bola Tinubu on infrastructure development.
“I want the people of our country to appreciate what the President is doing. Let them evaluate and then tell the story.
“If this is an investment, let them evaluate it; if it is unprofitable, they have to tell the story,” the minister said.
Chief Segun Showunmi, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, and some civil society activists, were among the personalities.
Umahi stated that enormous efforts had been invested in the coastal highway project, aimed at physically connecting the western and southeastern regions of Nigeria to enhance cross-country connectivity and trade relations.
The highway will pass through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before ending in Calabar.
Commenting, Showunmi, also the Convener of the Alternative Movement, said that there was a need to build a consensus around development.
“We must accept, as Nigerian citizens, that there are times in our history when we must breathe in and breathe out and begin to look at how we can develop our nation.
“The honourable minister, who in my opinion is one of the most accessible, conscientious and easy-to-relate with, invited us to look at this project.
“We will look at it on behalf of Nigerians with the critical eye of the Nigerian.
“We will say what we will see and query what we think should be queried and converse on your behalf,” he said.
