Former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi has accused President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of taking credit for the Lekki Deep Seaport project. He claims he supervised the project from start to finish while serving under former President Muhammadu Buhari. His comments have sparked reactions among Nigerians, with some questioning his claims and others asking why the South-East lacks a similar seaport.
Amaechi made the remarks on Thursday at an African Democratic Congress (ADC) stakeholders’ meeting in Edo State. He was responding to a question about whether an ADC government would develop the proposed Gelegele Seaport to match the Lekki Deep Seaport. Defending his record, the former Rivers State governor said he oversaw the project before resigning to contest the presidency.
“I built Lekki Deep Seaport from scratch to finish. I finished it completely,” Amaechi said.
He also alleged that Tinubu and Sanwo-Olu later took credit for the project during its commissioning. According to him, Sanwo-Olu invited Buhari to commission the facility after Amaechi had left office. Amaechi claimed neither Tinubu nor Sanwo-Olu had visited the project site from its early stages.
However, Amaechi acknowledged that previous administrations played important roles in the project. He said Buhari approved its construction, while the idea dated back to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He also revealed that the Buhari administration approved deep seaport projects in Bonny, Akwa Ibom and Warri. However, funding challenges stalled some of those projects.
Amaechi promised that an ADC government would prioritise their development. Meanwhile, his comments have reignited debate over political credit for major infrastructure projects and the need for more seaports across Nigeria.
