Founder of Naija Lives Matter (NLM), Dr. Ope Banwo, has questioned Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi’s reported commitment to halt the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project if elected president, describing such a position as one that requires far stronger policy justification.
Banwo, a social critic and advocate, said while every major infrastructure project should be subjected to transparency and accountability, cancelling a project of such economic significance outright could deprive Nigeria of long-term development opportunities.
According to him, there is nothing wrong with reviewing contracts, investigating procurement processes or exposing any wrongdoing associated with the project, but terminating it completely is a different matter.
“If Peter Obi had said he would investigate the contract, review the procurement process, expose any corruption or renegotiate inflated costs, I would completely understand and even applaud him,” Banwo said. “Those are exactly the actions expected of a prudent leader.”
He maintained, however, that a decision to stop the project entirely would require convincing economic and developmental reasons beyond political disagreement.
Banwo also renewed his call for greater transparency in the execution of the project, saying Nigerians deserve a full explanation of the procurement process and the circumstances surrounding the award of the contract.
“I want the Tinubu administration to account for the entire procurement process,” he said. “Nigerians deserve to know how such a massive project was awarded and whether due process was followed.”
Despite those concerns, Banwo argued that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway remains one of Nigeria’s most ambitious infrastructure projects since the country’s return to democratic rule and should not be abandoned without careful consideration of its long-term benefits.
He said the highway has the potential to establish a major economic corridor linking Lagos with several coastal states, reduce transportation costs for businesses and improve connectivity across the southern region.
According to him, improved road infrastructure could stimulate tourism, hospitality, manufacturing, agriculture and real estate development while opening new opportunities for trade and private investment.
Banwo added that the project could also create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, encourage the establishment of industrial clusters and improve access to ports and export infrastructure.
He noted that states in the South-East and South-South, widely regarded as Peter Obi’s political strongholds, stand to benefit significantly from improved transport links and increased commercial activities generated by the project.
“Reasonable people can debate whether the project is too expensive. They can demand transparency, question the procurement process and ask for independent audits. Those are legitimate debates,” he said.
“But cancelling the project outright is an entirely different proposition, and Nigerians deserve to hear the economic reasoning behind such a decision.”
Banwo warned against reducing national infrastructure debates to partisan politics, insisting that major development projects should be assessed on their long-term value to the economy rather than the political identity of the administration executing them.
He urged all presidential aspirants to clearly explain not only the projects they intend to discontinue but also the alternatives they would implement to drive economic growth, create jobs and improve the lives of Nigerians.
According to Banwo, leadership requires difficult decisions backed by sound economic reasoning, adding that voters deserve comprehensive explanations before deciding who should lead the country after the 2027 elections.