Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has labeled the N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project as both extravagant and riddled with corruption. He also criticized the Bola Tinubu administration for allocating N21 billion to construct a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima, arguing that it reflects misguided priorities and serves as a channel for siphoning public funds. Obasanjo made these remarks in Chapter Six of his newly released book, Nigeria: Past and Future, where he evaluates the leadership styles of Nigeria’s federal and state executives. The book was launched last week alongside another title to commemorate his 88th birthday.
Works Minister David Umahi disclosed that the 700km highway project, costing N4.93 billion per kilometer, is funded through a counterpart arrangement rather than a Public-Private Partnership. So far, N1.06 trillion has been disbursed for the initial phase—about six percent of the total project—starting at Eko Atlantic and ending at the Lekki Deep Sea Port. Several notable figures, including Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, have challenged the Federal Government’s choice to award the contract to Hitech Construction Company, owned by Gilbert Chagoury—a reputed longtime associate of Tinubu—without open bidding.
Reflecting on Tinubu’s two years in office, Obasanjo remarked that the administration seems intent on perpetuating a cycle of exploitation, with a prevailing mindset of “It’s my turn to benefit.” When reached for comment on Wednesday night, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga declined to respond to Obasanjo’s critique.
Obasanjo argued that most Nigerian leaders—whether governors, presidents, ministers, or local government chairmen—are unprepared, selfish, and driven by a desire for personal enrichment, leaving the nation mired in poverty and underdevelopment. He suggested that many aspiring leaders view public office as a means to amass wealth for themselves and their allies, often worsening the country’s condition. He cited examples of politicians who secure massive loans before elections, expecting to repay them with public funds once in power.
He elaborated: “Consider a governor whose business owed banks billions of naira and millions of dollars before taking office. Within two years, without any visible business activity, he clears those debts. You can only speculate where the funds came from. After getting away with it in his first term, he then appropriates nearly half the state’s resources in his second term. This is a common pattern across the country, with few exceptions. State resources are hijacked, with crumbs tossed to staff and associates to silence potential whistleblowers.”
Obasanjo further condemned leaders who conceal the truth about contracts, treaties, loans, and asset sales, calling them unfit for office. He singled out the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway—despite public outcry—and the N21 billion vice-presidential residence as prime examples of waste and corruption, especially amid economic struggles. “These projects highlight an administration eager to project progress and elevate the vice president’s office, but they reveal small-mindedness,” he wrote.
To tackle Nigeria’s challenges, Obasanjo proposed rethinking the Western liberal democracy currently in place, adapting it to suit African contexts. “If even the West, where this system originated, finds it flawed, we should be astute enough to reassess it for ourselves. Western liberal democracy isn’t working for us, beyond the failures of its practitioners. We need a democracy rooted in African history, culture, and values—let’s call it ‘Afrodemocracy’ until a better term emerges. From this, we can craft a constitution tailored to African nations that opt for it, addressing the shortcomings of the Western model,” he concluded.
