OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR
A Passionate Appeal for the Restoration of the Original Alignment of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway Through Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State
Your Excellency,
I write this open letter with profound respect and a deep sense of patriotic responsibility as the National Chairman of the Association of Traditional Rulers of Coastal and Border Communities of Nigeria and the Odoka of Ogbaro Kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Permit me, first and foremost, to commend your bold vision and unwavering commitment to national development through the construction of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway. This landmark infrastructure project is one of the most ambitious in Nigeria's history and has rightly been applauded as a catalyst for economic transformation, regional integration, tourism, industrial expansion, job creation, and improved connectivity among Nigeria's coastal communities.
Indeed, Your Excellency's vision of linking the entire coastline of Nigeria is one that has inspired hope among millions of Nigerians, especially those living in the coastal and border communities that have, for decades, suffered neglect despite contributing immensely to the nation's economy.
It is against this background that I respectfully draw Your Excellency's attention to the reported diversion of the coastal highway from its original alignment through Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, particularly the Ugbo axis, an oil-rich coastal region that boasts the longest coastline in Nigeria. This development has generated widespread concern among our people because it effectively bypasses one of the country's most strategic coastal communities, thereby defeating the very purpose for which the project was conceived.
Ilaje is not an ordinary coastal community. It is a major contributor to Nigeria's oil and gas industry, endowed with vast maritime resources and immense economic potential. Yet, despite these enormous contributions to national development, the people of Ilaje have continued to experience infrastructural neglect and limited access to federal development projects.
The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway presents a historic opportunity to correct this longstanding imbalance. Excluding Ilaje from the main alignment would not only deny our people the economic and social benefits of the project but would also weaken the broader objective of integrating Nigeria's coastal communities into one seamless economic corridor.
Your Excellency, this appeal is not driven by politics or sectional interests. It is founded on the principles of fairness, equity, justice, and inclusive national development that your administration has consistently championed.
As the National Chairman of the Association of Traditional Rulers of Coastal and Border Communities of Nigeria, I speak not only for the traditional institutions of Ilaje but also for countless coastal communities across the federation who believe that no major coastal development initiative should bypass one of Nigeria's most important coastal and oil-producing regions.
I therefore humbly and respectfully appeal to Your Excellency to direct the Honourable Minister of Works to urgently review the current alignment of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and restore its original route through Ilaje Local Government Area, particularly the Ugbo axis, in order to preserve the integrity and original vision of this historic project.
Such a decision would reaffirm your administration's commitment to equitable development, national unity, and justice for every region of our great nation. It would also unlock enormous economic opportunities in the blue economy, maritime trade, fisheries, tourism, and industrial development, while bringing renewed hope to the people of Ilaje and other coastal communities.
Your Excellency, history remembers leaders not only for the projects they initiate but also for the fairness with which those projects are implemented. I am confident that under your leadership, this matter will receive the urgent attention it deserves.
May Almighty God continue to grant you wisdom, strength, and good health as you steer our nation toward greater prosperity.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest esteem and unwavering support.
Yours faithfully,
His Royal Majesty, Oba Dr. Obafemi Ogbaro, JP
National Chairman
Association of Traditional Rulers of Coastal and Border Communities of Nigeria,1st national Deputy chairman of Trompcon,the scretary Ilaje council of obas and the Odoka of Ogbaro kingdom in Ilaje of Ondo state.
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