Presidency Defends N15tn Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Faults Obasanjo’s Criticisms

By Kolawole Ojebisi 

The Presidency has faulted the position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the ongoing N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar coastal highway saying that the project is a visionary legacy project with enormous economic potential.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this on Thursday during an interview on Television Continental.

The New Diplomat had reported that former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the coastal highway project as a wasteful and corrupt venture.

He also criticised the President Bola Tinubu administration for spending N21 billion on a new official residence for Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Obasanjo made these remarks in chapter six of his new book ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’, which was unveiled last week to mark his 88th birthday.

He said, “State resources are captured and appropriated, with a pittance to staff and associates to silence whistleblowers.

“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!”

However, the presidential aide stated the coastal road would bring enormous economic potential to the country, adding that the project will be one of the best infrastructure 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.”