Eradiri blasts Donald Duke, hails Tinubu’s political will to develop Niger Delta
The Media Director of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG) in Bayelsa State, Engr Udengs Eradiri, has launched a scathing attack on former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, over his remarks on the challenges posed by the Niger Delta’s terrain to development, accusing him of displaying ignorance and playing politics with the region’s future.
Eradiri, who described Duke’s position as reckless and misleading, said the former governor lacked an adequate understanding of the Niger Delta’s geographical realities and had failed to appreciate how engineering, political will and sustained investment could overcome the region’s environmental challenges.
The former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide cited the coastal road project being undertaken by the Tinubu administration as evidence of the President’s determination to confront difficult infrastructure challenges.
According to him, some sections of the coastal road pass through challenging terrain, particularly along the Lekki-Epe axis, saying he had participated in the initial clearing and sand-filling process of the ongoing project.
“All over the world, engineering backed with serious governance has conquered terrains worse than the ones in the Niger Delta to build critical infrastructure. We cannot see why the Niger Delta case should be different,” he said.
Eradiri contrasted Duke’s position with what he described as Tinubu’s willingness to undertake ambitious infrastructure projects, arguing that political will was essential to unlocking the Niger Delta’s economic potential.
He cited the road connection to Bonny Island and the coastal road project as examples of the administration’s determination to pursue infrastructure development despite geographical challenges.
“How did Tinubu complete a road to Bonny? He did it because of political will. How is Tinubu building the coastal road? He is doing it because he has the political will; the will that the likes of Donald Duke do not have, yet they want people to vote for them,” Eradiri said.
He added: “Tinubu has demonstrated the political will to do the most difficult things that others shy away from. These are the things required to lay a solid foundation for the development and prosperity of this country.”
The Bayelsa TSG media director described Tinubu as a leader who viewed difficult terrain as an engineering and governance challenge that could be overcome, rather than a permanent barrier to development.
He maintained that the President’s approach to infrastructure development distinguished him from political leaders who, according to him, continued to emphasise the Niger Delta’s geographical difficulties without offering practical solutions.
Eradiri said the region needed leaders capable of mobilising resources, deploying modern engineering and sustaining infrastructure investments to connect rural communities, improve economic activities and expand access to markets.
He insisted that the Niger Delta’s development prospects should not be limited by its riverine geography, arguing that sustained political commitment and strategic infrastructure investments could transform the region into a major economic corridor.
Citing an example, he argued that developments in Bayelsa State, particularly ongoing road projects linking previously inaccessible communities, had demonstrated that the region’s difficult terrain was not an insurmountable barrier to infrastructure development.
The TSG Media director attributed the ongoing infrastructure projects in Bayelsa to increased revenue allocations to states under President Bola Tinubu’s administration following the removal of fuel subsidy, as well as the Federal Government’s interventions in critical road projects.
Taking exception to Duke’s comments, Eradiri said: “I want to state categorically that the former Governor Donald Duke lacks understanding about the terrain in the Niger Delta.
“It is obvious that while sitting as the governor of one of the Niger Delta states, Donald Duke failed to relate properly with his colleagues to this point where he went on national television to embarrass himself about how his colleagues were tackling the terrain to develop their states.”
He said a visit to Bayelsa would have given Duke a clearer understanding of the progress being made in the state, insisting that the riverine and swampy geography of the Niger Delta should not be used to justify the region’s infrastructure deficits.
“Bayelsa and Niger Delta Terrain Is Developable”, Eradiri said citing ongoing road construction towards Brass and Agge, as well as improved access beyond Ekeremor, as evidence that Bayelsa’s difficult terrain could be conquered through deliberate government action.
“Bayelsa State can be developed. Right now, if you see what is happening in the state as a result of the increase in allocations to states under President Bola Tinubu’s government because of his courage to remove fuel subsidy, you will understand that the terrain is not an excuse for underdevelopment,” he said.
He added that the Federal Government had intervened in efforts to extend road infrastructure to Brass, while another road project was ongoing towards Agge.
According to him, the Bayelsa projects demonstrate that the Niger Delta’s geographical challenges can be addressed through strategic planning, adequate funding and the political will to execute difficult infrastructure projects.
Eradiri accused Duke of attempting to exploit the region’s development challenges for political purposes, arguing that his comments could undermine public confidence in the possibility of transforming the Niger Delta.
“Duke is trying to whip up sentiment against President Tinubu to deceive voters, but unfortunately for him, the voters know better,” he said.
The former governorship candidate in Bayelsa further expressed displeasure that a former governor from the Niger Delta would portray the region’s terrain as an obstacle to development, particularly at a time when political leaders were seeking public support.
“Duke’s statement has rather earned him outrage in the Niger Delta because various stakeholders do not understand why a leader should be demarketing the development of his area because of his selfish, unrealistic presidential ambition,” he added.
To buttress his argument, Eradiri referenced infrastructure development in other parts of the world, including Vietnam and California, where governments and engineers have constructed critical infrastructure across challenging geographical landscapes.
He said his personal experience in Vietnam had exposed him to the possibilities of transforming riverine and swampy environments through engineering and purposeful leadership.
“I have been to Vietnam, and I have seen how leaders have transformed their riverine and swampy terrains. If it can be done in Vietnam, California and other difficult terrains, why should a leader from the Niger Delta seeking votes to become president say it cannot be done in the Niger Delta?” he asked.
Eradiri maintained that modern engineering solutions, backed by effective governance, had made it possible to construct roads and other infrastructure in locations once considered difficult to access.
He argued that the Niger Delta should not be treated differently, insisting that the region’s geography required innovative engineering rather than political excuses.
