Actualising The Coastal Road Initiative

A member of Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), Engr Mayne David-West was quoted to have raised concerns on the fate of the Coastal Road planned for the Niger Delta. Of particular worry to many is, when the Federal Government will eventually complete the project.

David-West was not the only speaker at the 6th Annual Lecture for Prof Youpele Beredugo in Port Harcourt to address the Coastal Road Initiative. Indeed, some others expressed the fear that if the present government fails to see to its timely completion, the project would be as good as never considered.

Interestingly, the Coastal Road is fast falling out of the contemplation of people. Apart from the fact that it was in the budget, we have not found anyone that knows what has or is happening to the Coastal Road initiated by the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration as part of the Amnesty Programme for the Niger Delta.

Knowing how major  road projects in the Niger Delta are often willfully ignored, we think that the concerns of speakers at the Youpele Beredugo’s lecture require further re-appraisal. In fact, the Bomu-Bonny Road and the Yenegwe-Kolo-Nembe Roads clearly show a pattern.

The 704km Coastal Road was intended to link about 1,000 Niger Delta communities to the rest of the country. It was hoped that the road would be fast-tracked to be completed in five years, so that the neglected people of the Niger Delta would have a sense of belonging, as they too would access markets, good education and healthcare, among others.

It was for the need to deliver the project in a very short time, especially to re-assure the people of the region of the sincerity of the Federal Government, that the project was to be split into 10 segments for 10 firms to handle simultaneously. But, today, we can only join other well-meaning citizens of the Niger Delta to ask: Where is the Coastal Road?

As it stands, the Federal Government cannot say faithfully that it has kept its side of the Amnesty Progamme, if the Coastal Road is not given the due consideration it deserves. In fact, since the President is from the Niger Delta, we expect that no aspect of the Amnesty Programme must be left un-implemented.

We note again that the Amnesty Programme is good. In fact, beyond the expectations of a cross section of Nigerians, the initiative has returned peace to Nigeria and boosted economic accruals to the country. But, aspects of the post-Amnesty Programme appear to fall off the radar.

If the truth must be told, the isolation of hundreds of communities in the Niger Delta that contributed to the crisis has still not been addressed. As the Federal Government holds back the timely completion of the Coastal Road, the country may be adding deceit to the neglect that the region suffers. This is capable of jeopardising the laudable Amnesty effort.

We must state that the Coastal Road stands out as one of the most important roads in the whole of Africa. Beside the access it would provide for the development of the Niger Delta, it would ease the activities of petroleum exploitation on which the country relies for most of her income. Even more, it would take safety and security to that region.

Knowing the nature and beauty of the Niger Delta, the Coastal Road would become the most important statement for tourism and transportation in Nigeria. If for nothing else, that it provides the opportunity for rural development would make the road a national asset. Besides, the alternative or complementary roles it would play to the East-West Road are what Nigeria cannot afford to ignore.

This is why we think that action needs to return to the Coastal Road. Indeed, only the best quality job is expected, because of the challenging topography of the region. As a matter of fact, only the best construction firms should be allowed to participate in the project in order not to return the region to another period of agony.

We think that the number of firms to handle the job should increase in the light of the need for quality and timely completion. We think that the Federal Government and the National Assembly should increase the allocation for the project in the 2012 budget for the purpose of taking the road far and quickly too.

As the present government preaches transformation, we hope that it would impress itself by redeeming its promise to the people of the Niger Delta by delivering the Coastal Road within agreed specifications and timelines. This will convince the people of the region that the Federal Government, indeed, means well for the Niger Delta.