No, Obj no! Lagos Calabar coastal highway project is neither wasteful nor corrupt, by Owaikhena Osikhekha |

An elder statesman is an experienced and well-respected politician or any public figure who has held high office for decades.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is an elder statesman by all standards. He was military Head of State between 1976 and 1979.

He returned to power in 1999 as a civilian President and governed for another eight years.

He would have governed as civilian President for twelve years if his third term ambition had succeeded.

Cumulatively, Chief Obasanjo was Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for eleven years.

So, the Ebora Owu is eminently qualified to be called an elder statesman.

An elder statesman must be a bedrock of principles, a  moral compass and have the ability to build a consensus on national issues. Making  unsubstantiated, especially corruption allegation against serving and former Presidents wouldn’t help in building consensus.

In one of his books, he has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of monumental corruption. But in 2019,  Chief Obasanjo endorsed the same Atiku, a supposedly corrupt man, for the office of President. This left many Nigerians wondering whether the former President, popularly called OBJ, knows what he is doing. 

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It is morally repressible for a former President to give an impression that he is the only country’s former leader that is upright. 

During the struggle for the actualisation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, Chief Obasanjo claimed that the billionaire philanthropist was not the messiah Nigeria needed. 

Recently, Chief Obasanjo in his new book titled, “Nigeria; Past and Future,” released to mark his 88th birthday, claimed that the ambitious Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project was  “wasteful and corrupt.”  There is nowhere in the entire book that the former President presented evidence to substantiate these serious allegations.  This is capable of finishing his status as an elder statesman.

If there were any questions Chief Obasanjo wanted to ask about the highway project, he has direct access to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi.

As a former President and an elder statesman, he doesn’t need an appointment to see President Tinubu .

Elder statesmen give their advice behind closed doors devoid of media attention.

Traditionally, former leaders around the world rarely issue public statements on the decisions or activities of their successors because of the potential tensions such remarks could create. This is a global practice which other past leaders in Nigeria adhere to except Chief Obasanjo. 

The Lagos- Calabar superhighway project represents a crucial step in Nigeria’s efforts to enhance connectivity, facilitate economic growth and improve the quality of life of Nigerians. The road connects nine states, beginning from Victoria Island in Lagos to Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and terminates in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.

The contractor handling the project, Hitech Construction Company Nigeria  Limited is a reputable international firm that has delivered high quality jobs here in Nigeria.  The Minister of Works, Senator Umahi who regularly inspects the ongoing project has testified about the quality of work being executed by the company.

The project is neither wasteful nor associated with corruption.  One thing a lot of Nigerians, including Chief Obasanjo don’t know is that the Federal Government is providing only thirty percent of the cost of the project while the contractor is responsible for sourcing for seventy percent of the cost. The Federal Government recently signed an Engineering Procurement Construction and Financing (EPC+F) agreement with Hitech Construction Company which will enable the firm to source seventy percent of funds required to complete the superhighway which will be tolled upon completion. It will through the tolling recoup its investment in the seven hundred and fifty kilometre highway.

President Tinubu should be encouraged to deliver on his legacy projects, including the Lagos -Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto- Badagry Superhighway which are capable of opening Nigeria for more economic activities.

Owaikhena Osikhekha is a public affairs analyst

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