I BUILT LEKKI DEEP SEAPORT FROM SCRATCH, BUT TINUBU AND SANWO-OLU TOOK CREDIT - AMAECHI

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Vice-Presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has claimed that he oversaw the construction of the Lekki Deep Seaport from its beginning to completion, accusing President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of taking credit for the project. 

Amaechi made the claim on Thursday at 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. 

The former Transportation Minister said several deep seaport projects were approved under former President Muhammadu Buhari, including the Lekki project, although he noted that the idea dated back to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. 

“I built Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch to finish. I finished it completely,” Amaechi said, explaining that he had resigned to contest the presidency before the project was commissioned. 

He added, “That’s why Sanwo-Olu got Buhari to come and commission it.” Amaechi further alleged that Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu and others later claimed credit for the project. 

“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 said. 

He said Buhari approved the construction, while describing the project as essentially an idea from the Obasanjo era. 

“Buhari approved the construction of that seaport, but it was essentially an Obasanjo’s idea, even though it was built by Buhari,” Amaechi said. 

He also said the Buhari administration approved deep seaport projects in Bonny, Akwa Ibom and Warri, but funding challenges stalled some of them.