Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has strongly criticized the N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing it as a wasteful venture riddled with corruption.
He also condemned the Federal Government’s decision to spend N21 billion on a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima, calling it a misplaced priority and a conduit for embezzling public funds.
Obasanjo made these remarks in Chapter Six of his newly launched book, Nigeria: Past and Future, where he assessed the leadership of Nigeria’s chief executives at both federal and state levels. The book was one of two unveiled in celebration of his 88th birthday last week.
Obasanjo’s Criticism of the Project
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, spanning approximately 700km, has been a subject of controversy since its announcement. Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed that the project would cost N4.93 billion per kilometre and would be funded through a counterpart-funding arrangement rather than a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
The government has already released N1.06 trillion for the pilot phase, which constitutes just six percent of the project and is expected to run from Eko Atlantic to the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
Several stakeholders, including the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, have raised concerns over the contract’s direct award to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech Construction Company without competitive bidding. Chagoury, a longtime business associate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been linked to multiple infrastructure deals under the current administration, raising suspicions of cronyism.
“It Is My Turn to Chop” – Obasanjo
In assessing Tinubu’s two years in office, Obasanjo lamented the continuation of what he termed the “short-changing” of over 230 million Nigerians. According to him, governance has become entirely transactional, with the mantra now being, ‘It is my turn to chop.’
“The majority of those who have held leadership positions in this country—governors, presidents, ministers, commissioners, and even local government chairmen—have been ill-prepared, self-serving, and corrupt,” Obasanjo asserted. “They enrich themselves while the nation suffers in abject poverty and underdevelopment.”
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga declined to respond to Obasanjo’s critique when contacted on Wednesday night.
A Culture of Corruption
Obasanjo further illustrated his concerns by citing cases of public officials who misappropriate state funds. He alleged that many governors amass wealth dishonestly, often repaying personal loans with public funds.
“How do you explain a situation where a governor, who was owing banks billions of naira before assuming office, clears all his debts within two years, despite his company not engaging in any business?” Obasanjo queried. “It is evident where the money comes from. By the second term, many of them take control of almost half of their state’s resources.”
He also accused politicians of silencing whistleblowers by distributing a fraction of their loot to associates, ensuring loyalty and the suppression of dissent.
A Need for African-Specific Governance
Beyond his criticisms, Obasanjo proposed that Nigeria and other African nations should rethink their governance structures. He argued that Western liberal democracy, as currently practised, has failed to deliver meaningful progress and should be modified to better align with Africa’s unique cultural and historical contexts.
“If Western nations themselves acknowledge that their model of liberal democracy is not working well for them, we should be wise enough to interrogate it,” he said. “We need an alternative governance system—one rooted in African history and attributes. Until we find a better term for it, let us call it Afrodemocracy.”
Implications for the Tinubu Administration
Obasanjo’s comments add to growing discontent over the Federal Government’s handling of major infrastructure projects.
While the Lagos-Calabar highway is seen by some as a critical development project, questions over its transparency and prioritization amid economic hardship continue to fuel debate.
Whether the Tinubu administration will respond to these allegations or revise its approach remains uncertain.
However, with opposition figures and civil society groups amplifying the former president’s concerns, the controversy surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
