The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has raised concerns over the recent realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, warning that the removal of Ondo State’s coastal communities from the project’s original route could undermine historical fairness and limit economic opportunities for the region.
The group argued that the revised alignment does not reflect the initial purpose of the proposed 700-kilometre infrastructure project and could leave Ondo State disconnected from a major national development initiative.
In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, signed by Afenifere’s Secretary-General, Sola Ebiseni, on behalf of the Ilaje-Yoruba people and other coastal communities in Ondo State, the group stated that the state’s coastline was being excluded from a project that was originally envisioned to connect the coastal regions.
Ebiseni explained that the concept of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway dates back to around 1900, when the Ilaje coastal territory, now part of Ondo State, was under the
