- It’s the fact that a construction company owned by Gilbert Chagoury, a long-standing associate of the president, got the contract on a platter.
- The provisions of the Public Procurement Act of 2007 were violated with impunity while the Bureau of Public Procurement watched on.
From its conception, the announcement of its commencement to the public and the commissioning of the first phase, the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project has been dogged by unending controversies. The President Bola Tinubu-led government on Saturday commissioned 30km out of the 700 km road with pomp and pageantry. As expected, the occasion was graced by crème de la crème, the Nigerian business and political class.
The ambitious project has attracted, on the one hand, praises, especially from supporters of the current administration, and on the other hand, criticism from many inquisitive and cynic citizens who are uncomfortable and concerned with the way the government bypassed and violated laws on awarding of contracts and also the process and modalities of its execution. Among those who raised concerns about the project is former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who described it as ‘corrupt’ and ‘wasteful’.
Criticism of and opposition to the project began almost immediately after it was announced, with many wondering if it was sensible for Nigeria to commit such a massive amount of money to a road project, especially when many highways across the country are deplorable. It would be a wise and judicious use of limited resources if the federal government used the funds allocated for the road project to fix the broken and dilapidated roads across the country, they asserted.
While the debate about the importance or otherwise of the project was raging, another piece of contentious and, some would say, scandalous, information came to public knowledge. The government announced that only Hitech Construction Company Limited would handle the construction of the 700-kilometre road project. Many were disappointed but not surprised. The information only confirmed the suspicion and concerns about the project. One would have expected that a road project of that magnitude would be handled by six or seven construction companies.
The anger and disappointment over the contractor who got the project didn’t stem from the choice of the contractor itself but from how the company was awarded the contract. It’s the fact that a construction company owned by Gilbert Chagoury, a long-standing associate of the president, got the contract on a platter. The provisions of the Public Procurement Act of 2007 were violated with impunity while the Bureau of Public Procurement watched on.
While many Nigerians were still trying to come to terms with the brazen nepotism, cronyism and state capture that characterised the awarding of what is probably the biggest and most expensive road project in Nigeria’s history, the federal government, through the minister of Works and Housing, announced the demolition of landmark beach in Lagos State. The beach, before its demolition, was a lively and boisterous tourist spot that employed thousands of State residents, directly and indirectly. The demolition resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs as many businesses within the landmark ecosystem shut down.
The demolition sparked outrage among some Nigerians who believed the business was unfairly targeted and destroyed because of the strategic location it was located in. They opined that the government could construct the road without tearing down the beach if it wanted to, as its action adversely affected tourism and the environment. Many were also of the opinion that the decision to demolish a thriving business would send the wrong message to investors as it reflects badly on the country’s government in need of foreign investment.
If the conception and commencement of the project were greeted by misgivings and suspicion, the completion of the first phase has been enveloped by castigation and prevarication. Castigation and inquisition from the citizens who are keen to know why the government is commissioning 30 kilometres out of a 700-kilometre road project, and prevarication on the part of government officials who have skirted around issues and evaded questions regarding the cost and other details of the project.
While pro-government voices have lauded the project and touted it as one of the numerous achievements of Tinubu, the decision to lavishly commission 30 kilometres out of 700 kilometres has been heavily criticised by commentators and observers who deem it as the desperation of a government scrambling to showcase what it has achieved after two years in office. According to them, such a decision may feed into the narrative that the government may complete the 700-kilometre stretch. Also, the project has been widely caricatured on social media by cheeky Netizens.
During a feisty interview last week on Arise TV, the minister of Works was asked how much it cost to build a kilometre of the road, but he was evasive and did not answer the question, further raising doubt about the deepening the mistrust of the people towards the government regarding the project.
While the need for large-scale and ambitious road projects to further open up the country and connect every part of it is needed for economic growth, the manner and process of executing these road projects are equally important. It does not only ensure that Transparency, probity and accountability become entrenched in public services, but it also inspires public confidence when the citizens know the government will not spend public funds in a manner that raises questions.
Unfortunately, the manner the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project has proceeded has raised disturbing and unpleasant questions and left many wondering where the current administration stands when it comes to transparency and accountability in public offices.
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