Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the N15.6tn Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project as wasteful and corrupt.
He also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu for spending N21bn on a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima, labelling it a misplaced priority and a conduit for embezzling public funds.
The ex-leader made these remarks in Chapter Six of his new book, *Nigeria: Past and Future*, in which he provides a portrait of the characters and leadership styles of executives at both federal and state levels.
The book was one of two new publications launched to mark Obasanjo’s 88th birthday last week.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, had announced that the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would cost N4.93bn per kilometre, clarifying that the contract was awarded on a counterpart-funding basis rather than as a Public-Private Partnership.
Approximately N1.06tn has been allocated for the pilot phase—six per cent of the project—which begins at Eko Atlantic and is expected to conclude at the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
Many prominent Nigerians, including Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, have raised concerns about the Federal Government’s decision to award the contract to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech Construction Company without competitive bidding. Chagoury is believed to be a long-time business partner and friend of Tinubu.
Reflecting on Tinubu’s two years in office, Obasanjo observed that it seems the trend of short-changing the country’s over 230 million citizens will persist because “everything is transactional, and the slogan is ‘It’s my turn to chop’.”
When contacted on Wednesday evening, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga declined to comment on Obasanjo’s criticism of his principal.
The former President asserted that most individuals who have held leadership positions in Nigeria—whether as governors, presidents, ministers, commissioners, or local government chairmen—are ill-prepared, self-centred, and driven by a desire to corruptly enrich themselves, all while the nation remains mired in poverty and underdevelopment.
He further remarked, “The truly criminally absurd are the executives who deceive, lie, and try to cover up the realities of their actions and inactions regarding contract awards, agreements, treaties, borrowing, and the forward sale of national assets. Such executives are unfit for the roles they occupy.”
He cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and the new N21bn Vice-President’s residence as examples of waste, corruption, and misplaced priorities, adding, “The President has turned a deaf ear to protests over the Lagos-Calabar project, and the new residence built for the Vice-President during a time of economic hardship only serves to highlight the administration’s misguided priorities and the trivialisation of the Vice-President’s office. What a small-minded approach!”
To tackle some of the nation’s challenges, the former President advocated for a review of the Western liberal democracy currently practised, suggesting that it should be adapted to reflect African realities.
