The African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has accused President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of taking credit for the Lekki Deep Seaport, claiming that he oversaw its construction from beginning to completion.
Amaechi made the statement on Thursday during an ADC stakeholders’ meeting in Edo State while responding to a question about whether an ADC government would develop the proposed Gelegele Seaport to the standard of the Lekki Deep Seaport.
Vanguard News
The former Rivers State governor said he supervised the project while serving as Minister of Transportation under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I built Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch to finish. I finished it completely,” Amaechi said, adding that he had resigned to contest the presidency before the project was commissioned.
He further claimed that Sanwo-Olu invited Buhari to commission the facility after his departure from office.
“And when they were commissioning, Sanwo-Olu and others including Tinubu were claiming that they built it. None of them visited it from scratch,” he alleged.
Amaechi, however, acknowledged the roles of previous administrations, explaining that Buhari approved the construction while the idea for the project dated back to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“Buhari approved the construction of that seaport, but it was essentially an Obasanjo’s idea, even though it was built by Buhari,” he said.
He also disclosed that the Buhari administration approved other deep seaport projects in Bonny, Akwa Ibom and Warri, although funding challenges stalled some of them. Amaechi promised that an ADC government would prioritise the development of the proposed ports.
Amaechi
His comments have generated mixed reactions, with some Nigerians questioning his claims and others challenging him over the development of seaports in other regions.
Reactions
@AyodeleAdegbulugbe: “Why did he not build a seaport in the South East geopolitical zone?”
@AmashElPistolero: “You forgot to mention it till now what went missing in your head?”
@OniOlumuyiwa: “Amaechi doing everything possible to win the award for clowning from Obi 😅”
@OlusegunBolaOmotayo: “I built the lekki deep seaport all by myself but I don’t have evidence to show I’m the one who did it😃😃😃😃”
@OluwasegunOmoosho: “I laugh ..in what capacity”
@AkoredeOlatunbosun: “I’m aware of it …. it’s true but china funds the project that’s why china will use it for 30 years before it becomes Nigeria own”
@OsamedeAbel’s: “Dey said charity beginning at home”
@GoodnessN-epba: “What happened to Rivers Seaport ? You would’ve taken the credit instead. Lol”
@FredrickOriri: “To be frank I thought it was Lagos state that built that lekki Sea port, so it was built by FG”
@Isaiah: “why are you telling us now”
