{
  "id": 14738547,
  "title": "Gov Diri is a “local champion”, Duke says over criticism of Lagos-Calabar highway",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/gov-diri-is-a-local-champion-duke-says-over-criticism-of-lagos",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T14:35:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ripples Nigeria",
    "slug": "ripples-nigeria",
    "url": "https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/gov-diri-is-a-local-champion-duke-says-over-criticism-of-lagos-calabar-highway/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, Presidential candidate Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, referred to Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri as a \"local champion\" in response to criticism of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Duke argued that Diri was considering the project from a local, rather than national, viewpoint, and that the coastal road was not feasible due to its cost and the challenging terrain. Diri had previously expressed disappointment with Duke's earlier claim that building the highway through Bayelsa would be impracticable due to the state's swampy terrain. Duke dismissed Diri's defense, stating that the governor was viewing the matter from a state-level perspective instead of considering the wider implications for Nigeria. Duke emphasized that Nigeria did not have the financial capacity to undertake the project, citing the country's existing debt. He also questioned the decision to divert a section of the road to the East-West Road, pointing out that the existing highway could have been considered from the start of the project.",
  "summary": "Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and a former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke,… The post Gov Diri is a “local champion”, Duke says over criticism of Lagos-Calabar highway appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Premium Times",
        "title": "Diri counters Donal Duke, says Lagos-Calabar coastal highway buildable",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/diri-counters-donal-duke-says-lagos-calabar-coastal-highway-buildable",
        "published": "2026-10-15T11:49:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}