Former Minister of Transportation and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has claimed that he supervised the development of the Lekki Deep Seaport from the beginning to completion.
Amaechi also accused President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of taking credit for the project, alleging that neither of them was involved in its development from the outset.
The former Rivers State governor made the claims on Thursday during an ADC stakeholders’ meeting in Edo State, where he discussed the party’s plans to develop the proposed Gelegele Seaport to the standard of the Lekki Deep Seaport.
According to Amaechi, the successful development of the Lekki facility demonstrated what could be achieved through proper planning and government commitment to major infrastructure projects.
He explained that several deep seaport projects, including the Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos State, received approval during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, Amaechi clarified that the idea of establishing the Lekki Deep Seaport existed before Buhari became president, tracing its origins to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He said his position as Minister of Transportation under Buhari placed him in charge of supervising the project’s development.
Amaechi maintained that he oversaw the project until its completion but had resigned from the cabinet to pursue his presidential ambition before the facility was officially commissioned.
He alleged that Sanwo-Olu subsequently arranged for Buhari to commission the seaport and accused the Lagos governor and Tinubu of presenting themselves as the people responsible for building it.
“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,” Amaechi said.
He added that those who claimed credit for the project were not present throughout its development.
“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 alleged.
The ADC vice-presidential candidate acknowledged Buhari’s role in approving the project but maintained that the original concept had been developed under Obasanjo.
“Buhari approved the construction of that seaport, but it was essentially an Obasanjo’s idea, even though it was built by Buhari,” he stated.
Amaechi’s comments come as political parties and their candidates continue to outline their infrastructure development plans ahead of the 2027 general election.
His remarks also highlighted the competing claims over the contributions of successive administrations to major infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
The Lekki Deep Seaport is a major maritime infrastructure project in Lagos State, designed to support international trade, improve cargo handling capacity and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a regional shipping hub.
Amaechi said an ADC-led government would seek to replicate similar infrastructure development in other parts of the country, including the proposed Gelegele Seaport in Edo State.
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