Tinubu’s N15trn Lagos/ Calabar Coastal Highway Corrupt, Misplaced Priority- Obasanjo

The N15.6 trillion Lagos/ calabar coastal highway highly is a wasteful project according to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who also alleged high corruption in the execution of the project.

The coastal highway is one of the signature projects of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is expected to cut across the geo-political zones of the country.

The project has however been criticized by not a few Nigerians who questioned its timeliness and the whopping sum that has been allocated for its construction, apart from those whose livelihood has been affected.

For instance, the promoters of the Landmark Beach Resort, had lamented that they lost property valued at over $200 million to the construction, apart from the huge job loses to its numerous employees

President Bola Tinubu, had on May 26, 2024 in Lagos, flagged off the construction of the 700km Highway, stating that the project would revolutionize transportation in Nigeria and bolster the unique economic strength of each zone.

“Together, we worked to tame the Atlantic, and we turned a disaster into a great asset of value. We lost weight and took insults, but eventually, we tamed the Atlantic. We achieved our goals,” the President said, recounting how the indigenous company successfully executed a project to prevent the Atlantic Ocean from encroaching on critical sections of the Lagos shoreline.

“Today is my day to boast. The deal is done. The dream is realizable. The determination to build a nation of prosperity is possible. We said we would build this road, and we are determined to do it.

“Do not be afraid. We will do this road, and it will be a success for Nigeria, and we will do even more of this,” the President said

But in his book Nigeria: Past and Future recently launched to celebrate his 88^th birthday, the former Nigerian Leader said the project is not only corrupt but was purposely designed to serve the interest of some persons in the administration.

Obasanjo described the project as a misplaced priority, stressing that President Tinubu has failed to listen to the concerns raised by some Nigerians, including former vice president Atiku Abubakar that the highway is not a priority for now.

According to him, the Tinubu administration has embarked on some projects just to show of and not necessary to affect the lives of many Nigerians, describing the formulators of such projects as ‘small mind’.

“Typical examples of waste, corruption and misplaced priority are the murky Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road on which the President had turned deaf ears to protests and the new Vice-President’s official residence built at a cost of N21bn in the time of economic hardship to showcase the administration hitting the ground running and to show the importance of the office of the Vice-President. What small minds!” Obasanjo wrote.

Since construction started last year, the federal government has released over N1.2 trillion, according to the Minister of Works who recently said President Tinubu envisioned the project over 20 years ago.

He said the president has ensured that the project cut across all the six geo-political zones in other to ensure that no zone is left behind in the administration’s developmental projects, describing it as a ‘dream come true’.