A group inside the Yoruba socio-political organization Afenifere has sparked a political uproar by calling for President Bola Tinubu to be removed from office for his public statements that directly connect him to the contractor working on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project..CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Tinubu’s declaration, which sparked a renewed discussion over accountability and transparency in the awarding of federal contracts, was characterized by the organization as a self-destructive admission of conflict of interest.
The president’s acknowledgement, according to Olaitan, is a flagrant admission of exploiting public office to further personal connections. The Afenifere faction’s leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, chastised Tinubu for publicly calling Gilbert Chagoury, the project’s contractor, his “partner in daring” during the recent opening of a 30-kilometer section of the contentious coastal highway. The road’s procurement procedure and possible advantage to private interests have drawn more attention than ever before. Hitech Construction, a division of the Chagoury Group and the same company that worked on the Eko Atlantic City project, is in charge of the project.
He said it was unjustifiable and possibly unlawful to grant a multibillion-naira federal infrastructure project without holding an open and competitive bidding process. According to him, the route serves corporate interests under the pretense of national development. Critics say it seems to lead directly to the Eko Atlantic City, a real estate megaproject connected to Chagoury. The president himself has referred to the contractor as his partner, thus this is no longer conjecture. That essentially indicates he gave himself a government project,” Olaitan stated. The fact that just around 4% of the road has been put into service, he continued, raises concerns that the government would forsake the remaining portion of the coastal route once it reaches the private development site.
He claimed that the government was not interested in seeing the project through to completion. Paving access to a private community under the pretext of a national road is a calculated move. The National Assembly is implicated in this misuse of power if they do nothing. He urged the legislature to start the impeachment process right away, claiming that Tinubu’s admission is an abuse of power and a betrayal of the public trust. “If they are a truly independent and vibrant national assembly and if they are not equally complicit, I am calling on the National Assembly to start the impeachment process now,” he stated.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>