Coastal Line Project: You’re Distorting Facts To Sabotage Tinubu’s Efforts – FG Fires Back At Atiku

The Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of distorting facts to sabotage President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Making the allegations in a statement on Monday in response to Atiku’s recent claims that suggested that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal line project was ceded to a company that had the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu, on the board, Onanuga argued that the claims are unfounded and misleading.

The statement read, “Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is fast developing a reputation for distorting and manipulating facts for his self-serving objective of discrediting the current administration.

“President Bola Tinubu-led administration believes that every true and patriotic Nigerian, regardless of political differences, should work to promote the unity and economic well-being of the country and not delegitimise genuine efforts of the Federal Government to encourage local and foreign investments into the economy.”

Naija News reports that the statement highlighted the influx of foreign capital, such as the $20 billion attracted into the Nigerian economy since Tinubu took office, including over $14 billion committed by Indian business leaders during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

The presidency also refuted claims of conflict of interest involving President Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, concerning the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

It clarified that Seyi has been on the board of CDK, a tiles manufacturing company, since 2018, emphasizing that his business dealings were established long before his father’s presidency and were within legal bounds.

Addressing Atiku’s historical conflicts of interest, the statement recalled, “When he was Vice President of Nigeria between 1999-2007, he maintained his business links with Intels that won major port concession deals,” pointing out Atiku’s alleged hypocrisy given his past actions.