Presidency, Atiku in war of words over Seyi Tinubu’s links with Hitech Construction Company
By Emma Ogbuehi
The war of words between the presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over Seyi Tinubu’s links with Hitech Construction Company Limited escalated on Monday.
Seyi, son of President Bola Tinubu, is on the board of Hitech Construction Company Ltd, the company owned by the Chagourys, long-time business associates of Tinubu.
Hitech Construction Company Ltd was awarded the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal road contract worth trillions of Naira.
Atiku Abubakar, in a statement, had faulted the award of the contract to Hitech Construction Company Ltd.
According to the former Vice President, the award of the contract to Hitech Construction Company Ltd constitutes a conflict of interest because Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu, is a director on the board of CDK Integrated Industries, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group, which is also the parent company of Hitech.
But, reacting to the former Vice President, the Presidency not only accused him of being hypocritical, but also insisted that Seyi Tinubu has a right to pursue legitimate business interests in any part of the world.
The Presidency stated this in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Monday.
Onanuga said the fact that Seyi Tinubu’s father is now the President of Nigeria does not disqualify him from pursuing legitimate business interests.
He said Seyi Tinubu joined the Board of Directors of CDK in 2018, adding that he is representing the interest of an investor company.
Onanuga said he found it strange that Atiku could accuse Tinubu of conflict of interest in the award of Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway to Hitech Construction Company.
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He stated, “Is it not amusing that the former Vice President, a man who openly said he formed Intels Nigeria with an Italian businessman when he was serving in the Nigeria Customs Service, a clear breach of extant public service regulations, is now the one accusing someone else of conflict of interest?
“When he was Vice President of Nigeria between 1999-2007, he maintained his business links with Intels that won major port concession deals.
“As Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, he approved sales of over 145 State-owned enterprises to his known friends and associates and openly said during his failed campaign for the presidency last year that he would do the same, if elected.”
He said that contrary to Atiku’s claim that the Chagourys own the CDK, the Chairman of the company and its highest shareholder is respected General TY Danjuma (rtd).
He added that the Chagourys are minority shareholders in the company, adding only one member of the clan is on its five-man board.
“It is important to state clearly that Seyi Tinubu is a 38-year-old adult who has a right to do business and pursue his business interests in Nigeria and anywhere in the world within the limits of the law.
“The fact that his father is now the President of Nigeria does not disqualify Seyi from pursuing legitimate business interests.
“For the records, Seyi joined the Board of Directors of CDK in 2018, more than six years ago.
“He is representing the interest of an investor company, in which he has interest. He is not a board member because his father is a friend of the Chagourys.
“Information about owners and shareholders of CDK is a matter of public record that can be openly accessed from the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission and CDK’s.
“Atiku and his proxy did not need a little-known journal to recycle open-source information to make a fallacious argument.
“The Chairman of CDK and the highest shareholder of the company is respected General TY Danjuma (rtd).
“The Chagourys are minority shareholders in the company, and only one member of the clan is on its five-man board.
“We wonder how Seyi’s membership of the board of CDK conflicts with Hitech Construction Company’s work on Lagos-Calabar Coastal superhighway,” the statement read in part.