April 15, (THEWILL) – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has underscored the importance of the proposed Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying it will bring huge economic development and foster unity and integration when completed.
The President stated this on Tuesday while flagging off the 65km three-lane carriage way of Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway in the Nsit Atai local government area of Akwa Ibom state.
Represented at the event by the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, the President explained that the project was one of the key components of the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.
“I want to say that great leaders think big and shy away from playing politics with projects that have enduring value.
“I agree with you that if you want to build the economy, build roads and roads. Road infrastructure is a key catalyst for the growth and development of any Nation. It creates ease of movement of goods and services.
“It stimulates interstate movement and improves the quality of lives of the people. This is my vision for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.
“Now we are in three A and B respectively which link Akwa Ibom and Cross River. The economic benefits it will bring to the people of these two states are enormous”, the President stated.
Speaking in his capacity as host governor, Eno commended Tinubu for including Akwa Ibom as one of the benefiting states of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway and added that his administration will support the project to successful completion.
The governor, who described Tinubu as a detribalised leader, assured that the President deserves to complete his eight years in office to enable him to complete the good works he has started.
“I want to thank Mr President for approving and embarking on this audacious project that is bound to unleash and expand our economic horizon and open up our hitherto unreachable parts of our nation for easy movement of goods and services.
“I want to express the sentiments of the people of Akwa Ibom state for allowing the project to pass through here. It could have gone elsewhere, so it is not a right, and we don’t take it for granted.
“I thank Mr President for thinking well of people, particularly those of us in the coastal areas of this country so as to be able to move our goods and services to urban communities and urban centres.
Eno called for maximum support for President Tinubu to serve his eight years in office to give him the opportunity to complete the good works he has started.
“Let me end by assuring our people a loving President who will complete eight years because we are going to stand by him, and this is the truth. He cannot start this work and abandon it. Somebody else may not finish it.
“The Bible says ‘Who is this mountain that is standing before Zerubabel’, the hand that has started doing this work, the hand will complete it. Our prayer is to pray for Mr President to complete what he has so that it will not be abandoned and so that it will not be like the East-West road”, Eno stressed
