FORMER Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has criticised one of President Bola Tinubu’s flagship projects, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road describing it as a “scam” and accusing the administration of failing to work for the people.
Lawal stated this during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, aired on Channels Television monitored by News Point Nigeria.
“If you ask me, ‘What projects has this government implemented so far that are visible to Nigerians and have impacted their lives?’ I cannot see any. At least in northern Nigeria, where I am a frequent traveller, for example, I don’t see any road that they are constructing or rehabilitating. In the South-West, I don’t think there is any.
“They are still talking about the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which it appears every government talks about and votes money for, and it never goes anywhere. Their so-called coastal road is just a scam. Every Nigerian knows it is a scam. Even before they started, we knew it would be a scam, and it has become a scam,” he said.
In May, President Tinubu commissioned the first phase —30km, which stretches from Ahmadu Bello Way to Eleko Village Area in the Lekki Peninsula.
Less than two months after that, the Federal Government secured a $747 million loan to finance the 700km road project, a move that has stirred criticisms from Nigerians, especially opposition figures who accused the Tinubu administration of excessive borrowing without visible results.
Lawal is among those opposed to the borrowings, arguing that the government has no tangible projects to justify the debts.
He said, “You borrow money from Europe, and before it comes, it is spent over there.,So, I don’t understand. What can Nigerians see?
“It has become such that the President can go and commission 30 kilometres of a 700km road — which has even become a source of controversy. So, what are they doing with our money?”
The construction of the highway, which is estimated to cost ₦15 trillion, has attracted severe criticisms from opposition leaders such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, among others.
Property owners whose structures were demolished for the road project have also protested against the government and are demanding adequate compensation from the Federal Government.
Despite the criticisms, the Tinubu administration has defended the project, saying it is a strategic investment that would stimulate the economy.
“When people stop the suspicion and digest the coastal road project very well, they will know it’s a catalyst for the growth of every state in this country,” Umahi said in December after a session with the Senate Committee on Works.