Former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, defended the N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, dismissing claims that it is a wasteful venture.
This comes after former President Olusegun Obasanjo criticized the project, describing it as a “wasteful and corrupt” initiative.
Obasanjo also took aim at the President Bola Tinubu administration, particularly over the N21 billion spent on the construction of a new official residence for Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
The comments were made in Chapter Six of Obasanjo’s recently launched book “Nigeria: Past and Future”, which was unveiled to mark his 88th birthday.
In the book, Obasanjo condemned what he described as the misuse of state resources, stating, “State resources are captured and appropriated, with a pittance to staff and associates to silence whistleblowers.”
He further criticized the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project, calling it a prime example of waste, corruption, and misplaced priorities.
He added, “The President had turned deaf ears to protests… 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!”
In response, Shehu Sani took to his official X handle on Thursday to reject Obasanjo’s characterization of the project.
He argued that the Lagos-Calabar highway was not wasteful, noting that the vast amount of money involved in the project could have been misappropriated by individuals, as seen in past instances of corruption, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) scandal.
Sani stated, “I don’t think Lagos-Calabar highway is wasteful, taking cognisance that such amount of money for the project can be stolen by one man, as it happened in the CBN in the past.”
