Diri Disagrees With Umahi Over Coastal Highway Realignment, Describes Donald Duke As ‘Jester’
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has disclosed his disagreement with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, over the proposed realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the East-West Road, insisting that both projects should be executed independently.
Diri also reaffirmed the South-South governors’ collective support for the coastal highway, stressing that its construction should continue without being merged with the East-West Road project.
The governor, however, launched a scathing attack on former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke, describing him as a “jester,” a pretender and a politician without a political base over his comments questioning the feasibility of the coastal highway, particularly in Bayelsa State.
Diri made the remarks on Thursday during the 200th session of the Bayelsa State Executive Council at Government House, Yenagoa.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, the governor said he had personally contacted Umahi to express his opposition to the proposed realignment.
“I read, like everyone else, that there would be a realignment and that the coastal road would be merged with the East-West Road, which I do not believe is the same project. That should be a South-South road,” he said.
Diri explained that although he supported the reconstruction of the East-West Road, the project should not replace or undermine the coastal highway.
“I agree with you that the East-West Road should be reconstructed. It is called the East-West Road, but its reconstruction should not take the place of the coastal road.
“While you reconstruct the East-West Road, the coastal road must continue because you have already won the hearts of all the coastal states,” he stated.
The governor said his discussion with the works minister eventually resulted in a disagreement, adding that he insisted on the continuation of the coastal highway in the interest of Bayelsa and other coastal states.
He said he had urged Umahi to communicate the position of the South-South governors to President Bola Tinubu, noting that he was speaking both as Bayelsa governor and chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum.
Diri Challenges Duke Over Bayelsa's Terrain
The Bayelsa governor said his response to Duke was prompted by a television appearance in which the former Cross River governor reportedly questioned the feasibility of the coastal highway, citing Bayelsa's swampy terrain as a major obstacle.
Diri expressed disappointment that Duke, whom he described as a son of the South-South, would use Bayelsa as an example of an area where road construction was impracticable.
“When I watched the video and listened to everything he said about the coastal road, what actually made me respond was the example he gave using my state, Bayelsa. He said the coastal road was not feasible, and his reason was that even the state capital of Bayelsa is a swamp,” he said.
According to Diri, Duke argued that constructing the highway through Bayelsa would require between 100 and 200 bridges.
The governor rejected the argument, insisting that his administration had demonstrated that roads and bridges could be constructed despite the state's difficult geographical conditions.
“With our limited resources as a state government, we are building bridges and roads in the same swamp that he says cannot be developed. We are inviting him to come to Bayelsa since he has used our state as an example,” Diri said.
He added that the same wetlands being portrayed as an obstacle to development had contributed immensely to Nigeria's economic prosperity through oil and gas production.
Diri maintained that the state's terrain should not be used to justify its exclusion from critical infrastructure projects.
Governor Accuses Duke of Failing to Defend Bakassi
The Bayelsa governor also criticised Duke's record as a former governor of Cross River State, accusing him of failing to act when the Bakassi Peninsula was ceded from Nigeria to Cameroon.
He further questioned Duke's political relevance, pointing to his emergence as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) despite, according to Diri, the party's lack of elected representation in Cross River State.
“You pretend to be a presidential candidate of PRP. There is not even a councillor from PRP in Cross River. Not even in your own ward. Yet, you pretend to be a presidential candidate so that at the end of the day you can be rehabilitated,” he said.
Diri also challenged the former governor to address the debts he alleged were incurred during Duke's administration and inherited by successive governments in Cross River State.
He specifically cited the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort project, which he described as a white-elephant project that imposed a financial burden on the state.
“Above all, Donald Duke, you embarked on a white-elephant called Tinapa. You took loans and incurred debts that you placed a huge burden on the people of Cross River State and every governor and government that succeeded you,” Diri said.
He described Duke as a “jester and a pretender,” questioning his relevance in contemporary politics after being out of government for nearly two decades.
‘I Am an Elected Governor, Not That Fellow’
Diri said he was ordinarily reluctant to engage in public exchanges or trade insults with political leaders, but insisted that Duke's comments had compelled him to defend Bayelsa State and its people.
The governor took particular exception to Duke's reported reference to him as “that fellow,” describing the expression as disrespectful to the office of an elected state governor.
“Donald Duke, I am not that fellow. I am the sitting governor of Bayelsa State,” he declared.
He added that he neither expected Duke to know him personally nor considered personal familiarity necessary for mutual respect between public officeholders.
Diri said his identification as a local champion was a source of pride because his mandate was to represent and defend the interests of his people.
“Yes, I am a local champion because that is where I was raised. I was elected to defend the local people. I was elected to champion their cause. I was elected to see possibilities where there seem to be impossibilities,” he said.
He called for an end to what he described as the persistent narrative that Bayelsa's difficult terrain made meaningful development impossible.
“Enough of this narrative that the Bayelsa environment cannot be developed. Oil and gas resources can be taken away from our land, but the land itself cannot be developed? That is a fat lie from the pit of hell, and we reject it,” the governor stated.
Diri Commends Tinubu Over Coastal Highway
Despite his disagreement with Umahi over the proposed realignment, Diri praised President Tinubu for initiating the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing it as a significant infrastructure project for coastal communities, particularly in the Niger Delta and the Ijaw nation.
He recalled that the construction of a coastal road had featured among the longstanding demands of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), dating back to the military era.
Diri said he presented a document containing the INC's demands during the political realignment involving some former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, the coastal highway was among the issues that influenced the decision of some political leaders to support the move.
“I like to seize this opportunity to thank Mr President. The very thought of it alone — that these coastal people should not continue to wallow in poverty and be dehumanised, and that they should not be seen as second-class citizens of this country — is commendable,” he said.
The governor argued that coastal communities deserved the same level of infrastructure development enjoyed by other parts of the country.
“If we can have roads in the North and other parts of the country, then the coastal road should also be built. The very idea of it is a big plus for Mr President and his administration. I welcome it with both hands,” Diri added.
