The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government may not fully traverse through the 100 kilometer coastal stretch of Ondo State afterall.
Former Secretary General of Pam Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere and Governorship candidate of Labour Party(LP) in the forthcoming off-circle gubernatorial election in Ondo State, Chief Sola Ebiseni disclosed this on Monday in Akure, the state capital.
He disclosed that the available alignment maps on the project revealed that the entire coastline of Ondo State may not benefit from the project.
Blaming Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for the shortage in the coverage of the project, Ebiseni alleged that the governor ought to have met with the Federal Government on the project on proper alignment of Ondo State portion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Ebiseni said: “Incidentally candidates of the leading political parties are from the coastal area of the state. Politics apart, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway by the Tinubu administration is the most visionary project for the people of Niger Delta.
“The Ondo State portion of about 100kilometre and longest shoreline stands to benefit the most, particularly in area of coastal investments and management of coastal erosion, but available maps of the alignment show that the road may not appropriately traverse the Ondo coastal portion.
“All efforts by leaders of thought from Ondo State particularly the people of Ilaje Local Government to ensure justice have proved abortive.
“The Governor has been indifferent. I personally suggested to him since May to call a meeting to brief our people for representations like other states and communities to the Federal Government on the proper and beneficial alignment of the palpable tension is all over the place.
“Our Governor is busy celebrating 1 Kilometre of concrete walkway where a project that will enhance establishment of deep sea port, coastal investments, redress the coastal erosion in Aiyetoro and other places and impact our lives and civilization for good is being allowed to slip by.
“We need a Governor with the proper understanding and clout to make things work.”
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Speaking on his preparation for the November 16 gubernatorial election, the LP candidate promised to re-enact the giant strands recorded by the party during the administration of former Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
He said he and his running mate, Dayo Awude, served as commissioners in the administration and were part of the strategy team behind the success of the administration.
Ebiseni, a former Chairman of Ilaje-Ese-Odo Local Government said: “Labour Party is a household political party in Ondo State and indeed the first political party with the grace of being elected twice for governorship from 2009 to 2017.
“My Deputy, Dayo Awude and I were Commissioners in the government headed by Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
“Our campaign is woven around the achievements of that government in education, health, integrated rural development, women and youths empowerment.
“We are not in the business of crowd rentals or preaching to the disciples by hauling our members in buses to Akure and end up persuading the converted, we are meeting the people where they are and it easy to remind them and point to Labour Party projects in their localities.
“They know that under the Labour Party government, education was absolutely free up to secondary school level with the state government paying WAEC fees which the present government refused to pay resulting in monumental national embarrassment where WAEC had to withhold the results of children.
“We are reminding them that in the state university and Polytechnic, by deliberate policy, tuition fees were pegged at N20,000 compared to the sum of two hundred thousand. Our Mega schools are speaking for us and the students are not likely to forget that bursaries were last paid in 2016 at the end of the LP administration, parents will remember our free bus shuttles for pupils throughout the state and vote for us.
“Mothers won’t forget that their deliveries in our hospitals were free of charge compared with about N250,000 today. Our first class mother and child hospitals and other health facilities in every ward and rural communities are the only medical outreaches seen in most parts of the state.
“Since our departure, none has been added to the modern markets we built in the crannies of the state, roads infrastructure, the University of Medical sciences and other first class facilities attached to it like the Trauma Centre and Gani Fawehinmi Diagnostic Centre all of which have become moribund, neglected by the present administration are speaking for us.
“Incidentally, these projects are easily identifiable with their Labour Party orange colours. The people believe us that we will do much more knowing that we were part of the success stories The other parties have nothing to show except personal controversial records of their candidates.”
