WE ARE accustomed to conservatives awarding contracts and abandoning them with no consequences. From the North to the South, Nigeria is littered with abandoned federal and state projects. The Mambilla Power Plant has been neglected for over forty years. The East-West Road project has dragged on since 2006. The Badagry-Sokoto Road has been abandoned for more than four decades.
Now, with the rainy season here, many of Nigeria’s dilapidated roads have become death traps. My journey to Abeokuta on June 2nd was a nightmare — and I know the same is true for most roads in the country. When I visited Asaba in April, navigating the Benin-Asaba bypass was a struggle.
The conservatives failed us. They were excessively wasteful with our commonwealth, indifferent to public welfare, and carried out their excesses with brazen fanfare. Yet, even at the peak of their recklessness, prodigality, deceit, and mindless plundering, they never commissioned a project that had not even begun.
Ironically, the same individuals who joined President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in commissioning a road project that is only 4.26% complete are the self-proclaimed “progressive” voices in Nigeria. This group, known for its vocal criticism of government policies, has long championed reforms such as restructuring, state policing, and fiscal federalism. They played a key role in bringing down Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. With their media influence, they have shaped public discourse, scrutinized government actions, and positioned themselves as agents of change.
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Yet their participation in commissioning an unfinished project raises serious questions about their integrity and commitment to accountability and transparency. Have they transitioned from critics to enablers of the status quo?
We foresaw this decline in 2023, but few heeded our warnings. In Elie Wiesel’s Night, he recounts the story of Moshe the Beadle, a devout Jew in Sighet who mentored young Jewish children, including Eliezer, teaching them Kabbalah and sharing spiritual wisdom. Moshe was deported by the Nazis but later escaped, returning to Sighet to warn his community of the impending horrors. Tragically, no one believed him — and the townspeople were eventually taken by the Nazis.
Many would argue that completing only 30km of the 750km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in two years — just 4.26% — is an abysmal failure. We are making a mockery of ourselves before the international community. If the president insists on holding a ceremony every 30km, Nigerians will endure 25 such events over the next 50 years. This is not governance. It is pure deception.
Similarly, we saw these deceptions and manipulations coming but chose to ignore them. The level of deceit under the APC government is staggering.
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After eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, it was clear this party could only lead us to ruin. How else can one explain delegates at the APC presidential primaries voting against Professor Yemi Osinbajo? Had the intelligent, polished, and pedigreed professor become Nigeria’s president, I doubt he would celebrate a 4.26% milestone. He certainly wouldn’t prioritize a costly coastal road while our internal roads remain impassable.
Even more troubling is seeing respected business leaders — figures known for championing goal-setting and achievement — applauding such minimal progress. Can anyone imagine Aliko Dangote or Tony Elumelu celebrating a mere 4.26% of a target? Yet they stood beside the president in commemorating this meagre progress, which amounts to just 2.13% per year. Their involvement speaks volumes about their business ethos. Some argue that Nigeria’s so-called entrepreneurs are merely fronts for those in power. This is perhaps the only country where people amass wealth before even starting a business.
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Taxpayer money was wasted on celebrating near non-achievement. In more developed nations, governments focus on delivering completed projects efficiently — without the pomp of premature commissioning. A president burdened with pressing national issues should not prioritize inaugurating projects that have barely begun, let alone those with such dismal progress. This calls into question the administration’s priorities and accountability.
Many would argue that completing only 30km of the 750km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in two years — just 4.26% — is an abysmal failure. We are making a mockery of ourselves before the international community. If the president insists on holding a ceremony every 30km, Nigerians will endure 25 such events over the next 50 years. This is not governance. It is pure deception.
