Shehu Sani, the former lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, has hit back at former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of the Lagos-Calabar highway project. In his latest book, Nigeria: Past and Future, Obasanjo described the highway as wasteful and corrupt.

Obasanjo also took aim at President Bola Tinubu’s administration, particularly over the N21 billion spent on a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima. The former president argued that the new residence was a waste of resources, calling it an example of misplaced priorities and a scheme to misappropriate public funds.

“Typical examples of waste, corruption, and misplaced priority are the murky Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, where protests have been ignored by the President, and the new Vice President’s residence built at a cost of N21bn during an economic crisis,” Obasanjo remarked, adding that such actions showcased the administration’s small-mindedness.

In response, Sani took to his official X handle to challenge Obasanjo’s claims, defending the highway project as necessary and noting that the funds could have been misappropriated by individuals, referencing past incidents like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) scandal. Sani argued that the project itself was not wasteful but acknowledged the potential for corruption.

“I don’t think the Lagos-Calabar highway is wasteful, especially considering how such large sums could have been stolen by one person, as seen in past events,” Sani stated.

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