Stakeholders from Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State have rejected the alleged diversion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway away from coastal communities in the state, warning that they will resist any move that excludes the area from the project.

The stakeholders, under the Committee of Lawyers and Stakeholders in Ondo State, described the alleged exclusion as discriminatory and demanded that the Federal Government review the alignment of the road.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, the group’s representative, Dr. Benson Enikuomehin, said the project would be a major relief for Ilaje communities that have struggled with inadequate roads, electricity and access to clean water despite the discovery of oil in the area in 1968.

Enikuomehin accused the Minister of Works, David Umahi, of unfairly excluding several Ilaje communities from the coastal highway by redirecting the route through parts of Edo State.

He argued that the alleged action amounted to discrimination and contravened Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on grounds including ethnic affiliation.

The stakeholder questioned why Ilaje communities, which are located along Ondo State’s coastline, should be bypassed by a project designed as a coastal highway.

According to him, Ondo State has one of the longest coastlines among Nigeria’s coastal states, estimated at between 80km and 100km.

He said the group’s press conference was only the beginning of its response to the alleged exclusion, adding that it would explore various means of challenging the decision, with legal action reserved as a last resort.

Enikuomehin argued that the highway should follow the coastline through Ondo State before connecting with Delta State and other states along the route to Calabar.

He also rejected the Federal Ministry of Works’ reported argument that constructing the highway through the Ondo coastal communities would be too expensive.

The stakeholders claimed that more than 60 per cent of coastal communities in Ilaje had been bypassed under the current alignment, which they said had effectively turned the project into an “inland highway” within Ondo State.

They alleged that the proposed route now runs from Oke-Upare in Ondo State through Ovia North and Ovia West in Edo State to Gelegele, before continuing towards Warri in Delta State.

Enikuomehin argued that the diversion was inconsistent with the concept of a coastal highway, noting that Gelegele is located several kilometres inland and that Edo State does not have a coastal community directly adjoining the sea.

He said the proposed coastal route from Ugbonla in Ondo State to Escravos in Delta State would cover about 60km to 75km in a relatively direct alignment, compared with an estimated 130km to 150km detour through parts of Edo State.

He further claimed that construction costs would also be higher along the proposed inland route because of difficult swampy terrain and the need for extensive bridges.

According to his estimates, construction through the Ugbonla coastal corridor could cost between ₦4 billion and ₦7.5 billion per kilometre, putting the overall cost at about ₦240 billion to ₦450 billion.

He said the alternative route through Edo State could cost between ₦7.5 billion and ₦12 billion per kilometre, with the total expenditure potentially reaching between ₦970 billion and ₦1.5 trillion.

Enikuomehin maintained that the Ugbonla-Escravos alignment was more consistent with the coastal nature of the project, while accusing the proposed detour of undermining the purpose of the highway.

“The road must remain Coastal, and any attempt to make it ‘un-coastal,’ will receive an ‘un-coastal’ reaction from us,” he said.