Obasanjo says Lagos-Calabar Highway project a waste of money

Obasanjo in his new book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’ also condemned the construction of new VP’s resident

By Kehinde Okeowo 

Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration wasted scares resources on the ongoing  Lagos-Calabar Highway project.

Obasanjo made this known in chapter six of his new book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future,’ noting that Nigerian leaders come to power mainly to steal and enrich themselves.

The ex-president, argued that the project, which would cost N15.6 trillion when completed, is “wasteful and corrupt”.

He went on to add that the building of the Vice President’s official residence at N21 billion was also wasteful.

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Speaking via his book, Obasanjo said, ”Everything is said to be transactional, and the slogan is ‘It is my turn to chop.’

“Typical examples of waste, corruption, and misplaced priorities are the murky Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, on which the President had turned a deaf ear 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!”

Prior to this, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had raised concerns about the project, calling for its suspension.

The Lagos-Calabar Highway project and the new VP’s residential constructions also sparked intense controversies among the Nigerian public.

However, President Tinubu’s Minister of Work, Dave Umahi, has defended the projects.

He recently announced that 30 kilometres out of 70 km of the Lagos-Calabar Highway phase 1, Section 1, will be completed in May 2025.

The Lagos-Calabar Highway project kicked off in March last year.