Former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has criticised the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, saying the initiative does not reflect Nigeria’s current economic realities.

Duke made the statement during an exclusive interview on ARISE NEWS, where he discussed Nigeria’s economic challenges, governance issues and measures he believes are needed to improve the country.

According to him, funds being committed to the highway project would be better spent on critical sectors such as electricity and healthcare.

“I know the country cannot afford it. You cannot build a road on the coast from Lagos to Calabar without even going through Bayelsa—even Yenagoa, the capital, is a swamp. There is some expenditure we make that does not reflect the realities of our circumstance,” Duke said.

He argued that government must prioritise projects that directly improve citizens’ welfare and strengthen productivity.

“The money being spent on that would be better spent providing electricity or upgrading the healthcare system,” he added.

The former governor said Nigeria needed to focus on projects that address immediate economic challenges rather than committing resources to initiatives that may not deliver the required impact.

Duke also criticised the country’s high cost of governance, calling for restructuring and reforms that would reduce waste and improve efficiency.

He said Nigeria’s economic problems were connected to weak governance and leadership failures, adding that the country had experienced too much politics without enough development.

“In the last 20-plus years, there has been very little governance going on—a lot of politics and no governance,” he said.

Duke, who recently emerged as the presidential candidate of the PRP ahead of the 2027 general elections, said his administration would focus on productivity, judicial reforms and building a competent team if elected president.