A former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar has linked the expedited execution of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to the business relationship between President Bola Tinubu and Gilbert Chagoury, the owner of Hitech Construction.

Atiku further stated that the lack of proper notification regarding the demolition of tourist and recreational amenities, as well as other properties within the Oniru corridor, including sections of Landmark in Lagos State, to facilitate the construction of the Coastal Highway, is a key factor contributing to Nigeria’s ongoing struggle to attract foreign direct investments.

It will be recalled that the construction of the 700 super highway has attracted both criticism and praise, especially with the the demolition of numerous recreational centers in Lagos.

Atiku, in a statement released by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, on Sunday, alleged that the Coastal Highway project is being expedited solely due to the business ties between President Bola Tinubu and Gilbert Chagoury, the owner of Hitech, the contractor responsible for the highway project.

The ex-Vice President asserted that the contract was granted in violation of procurement regulations. He further highlighted that the involvement of President Bola Tinubu’s son and his associates on the boards of companies belonging to Gilbert Chagoury presents a clear conflict of interest.

Hebstated: “The fact that President Bola Tinubu’s son and his surrogates are on the board of companies owned by Gilbert Chagoury constitutes a conflict of interest.

“Tinubu’s son, Seyi, is a director on the board of CDK Integrated Industries, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group, which manufactures ceramic tiles and sanitary towels.”

While describing it as unsurprising that the Chagoury Group had emerged as the primary recipient of Tinubu’s generosity, Atiku said: “Thanks to quality reporting by Africa Intelligence, our suspicions have been confirmed that Chagoury and Tinubu are indeed business partners and it has been formalized with Seyi on the board of one of Chagoury’s firms.”

He contended that instead of enhancing the ease of doing business, the Tinubu government had allegedly demonstrated to the global community that his business endeavours and those of his family would consistently take precedence over national interests.

“The former Vice President restated that it has become obvious even to the undiscerning that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is being done in a hurry purely because of the business relationship between Tinubu and Gilbert Chagoury, the owner of Hitech, the contractor that was awarded the contract for the highway project in contravention of the procurement laws. It is on record that this project is the most expensive single project ever embarked upon by the Nigerian government. The fact that it is happening at a time when Nigeria is facing its worst economic crisis ever is a red flag.

To add insult to injury, this project that is being done more than $13bn was awarded without competitive bidding. From all indications, the so-called Badagry-Sokoto highway would be awarded similarly at an enormous cost to taxpayers purely because Tinubu has put his interest ahead of the Nigerian people.


“Atiku said the demolition of tourist and recreational facilities and other properties within the Oniru corridor, including parts of Landmark, without ample notice, is one of the reasons foreign direct investments continue to elude the country.

"Rather than improving the ease of doing business, the Tinubu administration had shown to the world that his personal business interest and that of his family would always be prioritized over and above national interest”, the statement read in part.

The former Vice President further noted that investors observe the treatment of local businesses and would avoid regions where their investments lack protection.

According to him, in more orderly environments, establishments like Landmark would have been provided with a minimum of two years’ notice to facilitate proper planning.

“Tinubu has been globetrotting in search of foreign direct investments. He claims to have secured over $30 billion from various companies, but none has been forthcoming. Rather, all manufacturing firms have been posting heavy losses while some are exiting due to his poorly implemented exchange rate unification policy with even Aliko Dangote describing it as a huge mess at the recent annual general meeting of Dangote Sugar Refinery.

"The IMF in its latest report stated that Nigeria will by the end of the year become the 4th largest economy in Africa behind South Africa, Egypt and Algeria, a disgraceful development for a nation which was the largest in Africa by a mile when the PDP left the stage in 2015.

“Investors are seeing how local businesses are being treated and will not come to a place where their investments will not be protected. In saner climes, businesses such as Landmark would have been given at least two years’ notice for effective planning. But Tinubu’s eagerness to satisfy his business partners impaired his ability to coordinate the project properly.

"The awarding of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway was rushed; the environmental impact assessment report was not even completed; the right of way for the 700km stretch of the highway project was not secured; it was converted from a PPP to a government-funded project within the twinkle of an eye. The N500m that was approved by the National Assembly for the project was ignored, while over N1tn was released by Tinubu’s administration without approval from the National Assembly”, the PDP chieftain said.

https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/atiku-links-lagos-calabar-coastal-highway-to-tinubu-chagoury-business-relationship/

I am after good quality work. Even if Tinubu and Hitech are twins but they deliver quality, I am good.

ForValour:
I am after good quality work. Even if Tinubu and Hitech are twins but they deliver quality, I am good.

Don't mind the serial loser. He is only trying to discredit Tinubu for nothing.

mohims:

Don't mind the serial loser. He is only trying to discredit Tinubu for nothing.

But the question is will they deliver?

ForValour:
But the question is will they deliver?

I'm very optimistic about that

You're too shortsighted. There's no way a thief will give you quality work without making you pay 10 times over

ForValour:
I am after good quality work. Even if Tinubu and Hitech are twins but they deliver quality, I am good.

Of course tinubu is still the same tinubu criminal that used Alfa beta to loot Lagos into the highest debt for any state in black Africa. He couldn’t even build a functioning hospital to take care of himself it prefers hospitals in Europe to the ones in the Lagos “ he built “ ..Tinubu due to his insatiable greed for wealth always have this superstitious mindset that what works for one person will work for him and that’s why his behavior have been bizarre with no plan in place except superstition ie he compared his mandate to Abiola’s and went to exact same state Abiola picked his deputy kingibe to pick shettima to mirror that superstition. Apart from Imelda Marcus family I am not sure there is any other ex head of state that stole more money than Abacha as almost every year for the past 25 years the world hears of some new hundreds or billions of dollars stashed somewhere. Abacha stupendous loot hail from an impoverished country Nigeria and was made possible by two brothers - Ronald and Gilbert Chagoury per what Tell magazine and other news media reported then. Tinubu wants to mirror his personal life after Abacha and gain such stupendous wealth. He forgot that both men he is mirroring his life after, died 5 years after getting that power they so desired. Superstition instead of performance and hardwork can make people think foolishly many atimes

Abeg Tinubu should built Ekiti to Ibadan rail using his friends too.

I love it.

You have not benefited from the roads you already have but hoping to benefit from new one…bunch of clowns without common sense

Tinubu is enriching his family while telling Nigerians to make sacrifices.

ForValour:
I am after good quality work. Even if Tinubu and Hitech are twins but they deliver quality, I am good.

And they will not.. cos they have no prior history of doing such projects…
Lagos Epe exp was awarded to them… have they fixed it? Nope

ForValour:
I am after good quality work. Even if Tinubu and Hitech are twins but they deliver quality, I am good.

An acute case of Stockholm syndrome or a per post payee. (PPP) from Agbado republic.
The reason why people are tired of this country is not just because of bad leadership, but majorly because of the high number of citizens who keep criminals in power!

$11bilion of your children's future is about to be sunk into the abyss and you are here saying gibberish. It does not deny the fact that the person making the allegation sank $16billion of power supply fund. The truth is that so many nigerians do not know the things that are termed positive development. Anything that does not directly improve the GDP and quality of life of majority of the people is no development. A case in point is the airport that Umahi built in Ebonyi state... only birds land there because no airline will land there because there is no market for air travel in Ebonyi state while enugu airport is functional.

The money spent to build that airport could have built (where they are not existing) and equipped a 5-bed primary health care centre in all the 171 wards in ebonyi state ran with renewable energy and funded by an affordable local insurance scheme. Such projects will

**lift many people out of poverty line of primary healthcare.
**Being run with renewable energy will make it sustainable.
**a local insurance scheme will make it sustainable and affordable.
**It will provide job for Doctors, nurses and cleaners.
**It will improve living standard and reduce careless deaths.
**it will reduce rural-urban migration
Imagine each ward having a resident doctor, 4 nurses,a pharmacist, an ambulance driver and two cleaners. Do the math and see the benefits to the people, compare it with the benefits of the abandoned airport.

What such a project will not do is to provide an avenue to siphon huge amounts of money in one chunk...because such projects will be given to so many contractors with a template. That is why politicians won't do such projects.

This is just looking at the airport VS primary healthcare. We have not looked at the numerous flyovers that my dear Ebonyi people are not using...Such funds could have gone to improved primary education projects in the rural areas and give them opportunity to become more competitive internationally.

What you see coming from Anambra schools winning awards back to back internationally is not an overnight something. It was a framework of job done by Peter Obi's administration in that sector with relevant laws to make them sustainable. Nigerians are smart people...they just need the right environment to excel. Such feats could be replicated across the country in health and Education.

The reason some of us supported Peter for the presidency was because we are sure of the kind of development we want in Nigeria. We want leaders who understand what is called Key performance Index (KPI) and NEEDS assessment before projects are consummated. The IMPACT assessment is very important for any development to be sustainable.

Instead of building a coastal highway, why not do rail lines from the APAPA and TINCAN ports to terminals in Kaduna, Edo and Abuja for containers and permanently remove the gridlock in that axis forever. that is if you don't know what to do with money.

My name is AO.

From the get go, that contract award was sketchy.