The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Vice-Presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has claimed that he built the Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch 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 on whether an ADC government would develop the Gelegele Seaport in the state to the standard of the Lekki Deep Seaport.
The former Minister of Transportation said the construction of several deep seaports was approved under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, including the Lekki Deep Seaport.
According to Amaechi, although the idea for the Lekki project predated the Buhari administration, he oversaw its construction during his tenure as transportation minister.
“I built Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch to finish. I finished it completely, but I had resigned to contest for the office of the president, that’s why Sanwo-Olu got Buhari to come and commission it,” he said.
Amaechi alleged that Sanwo-Olu, Tinubu and others subsequently claimed credit for the project despite, according to him, not having visited the site during its construction.
“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 explained that Buhari approved the construction of the Lekki Deep Seaport, while noting that the concept had originated under the administration of 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,” Amaechi said.
The former Rivers State governor said the Buhari administration also approved deep seaport projects in Bonny, Akwa Ibom and Warri, although funding challenges prevented some of them from taking off.
He said the proposed Bonny Deep Seaport was designed to have a depth of 18 metres, while the Akwa Ibom location had a natural depth of between 17 and 18 metres.
He added that the Warri seaport was approved partly to facilitate the transportation of iron ore from northern Nigeria to Warri.
Amaechi said an ADC government would revive the proposed projects and ensure their construction, arguing that the cost would be manageable.
“We didn’t quite raise all the money to construct them. Will ADC government do anything? Yes, we will ensure that all those seaports are constructed. They are not too expensive,” he said.
According to him, an investment of between $400 million and $500 million could be sufficient to begin the construction of the proposed seaports, with expansion carried out subsequently.
He also assured stakeholders that an ADC government would prioritise the development of the Gelegele Seaport in Edo State.
“When ADC government wins, I, as a vice president, will put it on the table for the president to approve,” Amaechi said.
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