Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has said Nigerians and corporations will stop making use of the port in Cotonou, Benin Republic, once the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is completed.

In a post on Facebook, Omokri described the super highway as a catalyst that will reduce travel times and costs within Nigeria and open up the country's ports to increased commerce.

This was as he slammed a former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for criticising the construction of the road that will connect eight states along Nigeria's coast.

He said, "This is an actual photo of a completed stretch of the 700-kilometre Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway, which will start in coastal Lagos before traversing Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom State before terminating at Cross River State.

"When completed, it will be the longest coastal highway in Africa. Imagine driving for endless miles and just seeing the turquoise-blue colours of the Atlantic Ocean. It will almost feel as if you are driving to heaven!

"With the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway, you will no longer have to depend on ports in Lagos or Port Harcourt. The freeway will link seven ports, including Tin-Can Island, Lekki, Koko, Warri, Port Harcourt, Gelegele and Calabar ports.

"For the layman who does not understand what this means, it translates to cheaper importation costs, because ships would no longer accrue demurrage charges while waiting to berth at the congested Lagos ports. They can choose any of these seven ports, which will increase to eight when Ondo State completes construction of the Ilaje Deep-Sea Port.

"The multiplier effect of this is that Nigerian corporations and individuals will eventually stop using the Port of Cotonou in the Benin Republic, meaning that the increased marine traffic will almost immediately increase our GDP.

"You see, the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway is not just a road. It is a catalyst that will reduce travel times and costs within Nigeria and open up our ports to increased commerce. Not only will goods arrive in Nigeria, but they will also leave Nigeria.

"This road was first conceived fifty years ago. It is now gradually becoming a reality. It will boost Nigeria's internal and external tourism. And that is why I cannot understand why a trader like Peter Obi can be against that road because of politics.
Anyway, when we finish building it, we must not catch Mr. Obi on the road!"

ASA