8 hours Ago By Abdullahi M. Gulloma and Paul Okah, Abuja
The N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal highway is a visionary legacy project with enormous economic potentials for Nigerians, the presidency has explained. The position came against the backdrop of comments by former President Olusegun Obasanjo describing the project as wasteful.
Making the clarification Thursday while featuring on TVC, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communications Sunday Dare said “it will be one of the best projects ever put out by any President of this country.” In chapter six of his new book ‘Nigeria: Past and Future,’ unveiled last week as part of activities marking his 88th birthday, Obasanjo describes the coastal highway project as a wasteful and corrupt venture. He also slams the Tinubu administration for spending N21 billion on a new official residence for Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
00 / 0:00 “State resources are captured and appropriated, with a pittance to staff and associates to silence whistle blowers. “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.
Replying the former Nigerian leader, Dare, however, said contrary to Obasanjo’s position, the coastal road would bring enormous economic potentials to the country, adding that the project will be one of the best infrastructures in the country. He said, “Lagos-Calabar coastal highway is a visionary legacy project with enormous economic potentials. “Recall when the Lekki-Epe Corridor that was opened, everyone thought that President Bola Tinubu, who was then Governor of Lagos didn’t know what he was doing.
That corridor has opened up in the last 15 years; some of the highest rates of real estate has sprung up. We’ve seen the Dangote refinery; we’ve seen the Free Trade Zone and a lot of developments along that corridor. “Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, when completed and fully utilised, will be one of the best projects ever put out by any President of this country.
” Speaking in further defence of the facility, Minister of Works David Umahi said the Lagos-Calabar highway project is neither a wasteful nor corrupt venture, assuring that the first section of the project would be completed next year. Addressing a stakeholder meeting Thursday in Akure, the Ondo state capital, Umahi said: “The project is not wasteful and corrupt. I have read on social media where people were saying that why is the government or the contractor not explaining, but as the Minister of Work, I am qualified to explain the project.
“It is natural and normal for people to criticise, but I’ve ran the benefits of the project, the cost analysis of the project, the job is already done about 70% and the project will bring a lot of prosperity to the citizens. I’ll ask those criticising it not to follow the road. “I want to commend the president.
His peers are jealous, angry but that means he is doing very well what nobody has been able to do. The project is transparent; it is great in return of investment, so I want to urge everyone to ignore such statement.” On other ongoing federal road projects such as the Akure/Iju Road, Ilesha/Akure Road among others, he disclosed that plans were on to look into the issue of compensation so that the contractors handling the projects won’t have any problem.
Speaking at the gathering, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa restated his administration’s commitment to the successful completion of federal road projects in the state, stressing the crucial role of infrastructure in driving economic growth and development. Commending the Tinubu administration, the governor said: “We have not had it so good in recent times with federal projects in our State. Permit me to mention but a few: the Akure – Ore Dual Carriageway, the Akure – Ado Ekiti Dual Carriageway, the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway, and the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Akure.
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