Abubakar said the federal government has not revealed the
expenses associated with the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
He added that the road construction is shrouded in secrecy
and could cost N15.7 trillion.
He also condemned the federal government for not disclosing
the cost of the project as done by Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari’s
administrations.
‘ATIKU’S AIDES MISLEADING HIM‘
In a statement issued on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, special
adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Abubakar did not get
his facts right.
“In his desperation to always want to hug the headlines as a
self-appointed opposition leader, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has
allowed himself to be led into a blind alley again by his poorly informed
aides,” the statement reads.
Onanuga said Abubakar made “false allusions” about the
project in his “futile attempt to denigrate and find faults in the audacious
and transformational” road construction initiative.
“To Atiku’s chagrin
and utter disappointment, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway has been rightly
praised for the huge economic impact it will create and how it will be a
game-changer in improving the quality of life of Nigerians, especially the
economy of the nine coastal states it will pass through. Importantly, the road
will boost the agricultural and tourism economy on a grand scale,” the
presidential spokesperson said.
“Seeking to be a killjoy, Atiku Abubakar engaged in
red-herring by raising ill-thought-out allegations that only exposed his
inadequacies and those of his team in getting the basic facts on an issue he
badly seeks to nail the government.
“We owe it a sacred duty to ensure Atiku and his handlers do
not continue to spread disinformation as they wallow in their politics of
hatred.”
‘PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATION NEVER AWARDED THE PROJECT’
Onanuga said the administrations of Jonathan and Buhari
never awarded the project to any company at any varied and revised amount as
claimed by Abubakar.
He said Abubakar is mixing up the Lagos-Calabar coastal
highway project with the Lagos-Calabar coastal rail.
“So the question of
costs comparison does not arise,” the presidential spokesperson said.
“The contract that was awarded was that of Lagos-Calabar
Coastal rail. The rail was designed as part of the standard gauge national rail
network.
“The contract was
awarded on August 4, 2021, by the Federal Executive Council presided over by
former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN at the cost of $ 11.17
billion. The contract was to be completed in six years. The project didn’t take
off.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal rail project has always been on
the card. It was another testament to the failure of the previous PDP-led
government that it could not get it off the ground in the 16 years it held
sway.
“The Lagos-Calabar
Coastal highway and Lagos-Calabar Coastal rail are two distinct projects. It is
unfortunate that the former Vice President is confused about the two projects.”
Onanuga said Tinubu “should be praised for having the
courage to embark on this transformative project and not vilified as Atiku
Abubakar unsuccessfully sought to do”.
“We know there is nothing so sacred for Atiku Abubakar in
the pursuit of his undying ambition to be President of Nigeria even in his
advanced age,” he said.
“We, however, don’t expect a former Vice President of
Nigeria to continue to fan ill-will and engage in divisive politics in his
twilight.”
“President Tinubu as a leader and nationalist will continue
to drive and propel national progress through infrastructural development
across the country.”
The presidency asked Abubakar to “act his status as a presumed
statesman and desist from engaging in fruitless exercise that does not add any
value to nation-building”.
