{
  "id": 15141171,
  "title": "Coastal Highway: Murray-Bruce faults Duke’s criticism, backs Tinubu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/coastal-highway-murray-bruce-faults-dukes-criticism-backs-tinubu-15141171",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T06:58:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/coastal-highway-murray-bruce-faults-dukes-criticism-backs-tinubu/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ben Murray-Bruce, a former Bayelsa East Senator, has defended the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, rebuking presidential candidate Donald Duke's criticism of the project's cost and feasibility. Murray-Bruce, who recently criticized Duke's stance on social media, recalled that Duke had previously praised the vision behind the highway. Duke questioned the project's economic viability, arguing that Nigeria couldn't afford it due to financial challenges. He also raised concerns about the difficult terrain in Bayelsa State, suggesting that building the highway through the swampy areas would require numerous bridges and significantly increase costs. Murray-Bruce acknowledged the high cost of the project but emphasized that major infrastructure investments require substantial funding to generate long-term benefits, comparing the project to the United States' moon mission. He dismissed concerns about funding for the highway, stating that Tinubu was keeping his commitment to finance the project, and dismissed Duke's description of Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri as a \"local champion\".",
  "summary": "Former Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has defended the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, faulting Donald Duke’s criticism of the project’s cost and feasibility. Read More: https://punchng.com/coastal-highway-murray-bruce-faults-dukes-criticism-backs-tinubu/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Premium Times",
        "title": "APC proposes 12-state campaign tour for Tinubu ahead of 2027 elections",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/apc-proposes-12-state-campaign-tour-for-tinubu-ahead-of-2027-elections",
        "published": "2026-10-16T08:38:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "2027: Adebayo’s camp faults Tinubu’s reported campaign absence",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/2027-adebayos-camp-faults-tinubus-reported-campaign-absence",
        "published": "2026-10-16T12:45:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Coastal Highway: Murray-Bruce faults Duke’s criticism, backs Tinubu",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/coastal-highway-murray-bruce-faults-dukes-criticism-backs-tinubu",
        "published": "2026-10-17T06:28:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}