African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has claimed that he supervised the construction of the Lekki Deep Seaport from the beginning to completion, accusing President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of later taking credit for the project.
Amaechi made the claim on Thursday during 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 Minister of Transportation said the Buhari administration approved the construction of several deep seaports across Nigeria during his time in office, including the Lekki project.
While acknowledging that the idea for the Lekki Deep Seaport existed before the Buhari administration, Amaechi said he was responsible for overseeing the project 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 after he left office, Sanwo-Olu, Tinubu and others presented themselves as being responsible for the project despite, according to him, not being involved in 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,” Amaechi said.
He explained that while former President Muhammadu Buhari gave approval for the project to proceed, the original concept dated back to 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,” he said.
Amaechi Promises More Deep Seaports
Amaechi also spoke about other deep-seaport projects approved during the Buhari administration, including proposed facilities in Bonny, Akwa Ibom and Warri.
He said some of the projects did not progress because of funding challenges.
According to Amaechi, the proposed Bonny Deep Seaport was planned with a depth of 18 metres, while the site identified in Akwa Ibom had a natural depth ranging from 17 to 18 metres.
He added that the Warri project was partly intended to support the transportation of iron ore from northern Nigeria to Warri.
Amaechi said an ADC-led government would revisit the abandoned projects and work towards completing them.
“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.
He estimated that between $400 million and $500 million could be enough to begin developing the proposed seaports, with further expansion carried out as the projects grow.
ADC Promises to Develop Gelegele Seaport
Amaechi also assured stakeholders in Edo State that the proposed Gelegele Seaport would receive attention under an ADC administration.
He said the project would be presented to the president for approval if the party wins the 2027 presidential election.
“When ADC government wins, I, as a vice president, will put it on the table for the president to approve,” Amaechi said.
The former transportation minister’s comments come as the ADC continues to position infrastructure development and economic expansion as key parts of its campaign ahead of the 2027 elections.
Source: Rotimi Amaechi / ADC stakeholders’ meeting
