The Presidency has reacted to claims of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu puts personal business interests before Nigerian Infrastructure.
Atiku had alleged that the Tinubu administration is engaged in questionable dealings amidst the development of the 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who faulted former Atiku’s comments on Sunday, described it as erroneous and “irresponsible.”
“So what Atiku has done is just an attempt to run down the government. It’s unwarranted and very irresponsible of them to have said what they said.
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“They are confusing many things. Number one, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road was never awarded by Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari. It is a new project.
“So all these he is talking about, Jonathan awarding it to the China Civil Engineering Construction Company at N1.97bn, was about the rail line from Lagos to Calabar, not the coastal road.
“They collated a lot of errors in the race to denigrate Bola Tinubu. They didn’t get it right. Comparing the cost is unfounded. They are not related,” Onanuga told The Punch.
“In fact, it will make the journey from Lagos to Calabar short by I think about 200 kilometres. So, how can anyone in his right mind attack a project or an administration doing such a project that would better our country?
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. What the Federal Executive Council has approved is just the first phase. The same Federal Executive Council will approve the second, third, or fourth phases.
“This project has four or five phases. Who says the next one won’t start from Calabar?” he queried.
