Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has lashed out at the administration of President Bola Tinubu, branding its much-touted Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project as a “scam” and criticizing the government’s failure to deliver tangible developments.
Lawal, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s political landscape, aired his grievances during an interview on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a Channels Television programme aired Friday.
In a no-holds-barred assessment of the current government’s performance, the ex-SGF declared that there is little to show for Tinubu’s time in office so far.
“If you ask me, ‘What projects has this government implemented so far that are visible to Nigerians and have impacted their lives?’ I cannot see any,” Lawal stated. “In northern Nigeria, where I travel frequently, I don’t see any new or rehabilitated roads. In the South-West, it’s the same story.”
He cited the long-standing Lagos-Ibadan Expressway project as an example of a recurring government promise that has seen minimal progress despite repeated budget allocations.
But it was the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road — a project heavily promoted by the Tinubu administration — that drew his harshest critique.
“Their so-called coastal road is just a scam,” Lawal said. “Every Nigerian knows it is a scam. Even before they started, we knew it would be a scam — and it has become one.”
The Tinubu government had earlier commissioned a 30-kilometre stretch of the project, running from Ahmadu Bello Way to the Eleko Village area on the Lekki Peninsula.
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The commissioning was followed by the announcement of a $747 million loan to support the broader 700-kilometre development — a move that triggered widespread backlash over the nation’s rising debt burden.
Critics, including Lawal, question the justification for such large-scale borrowing in the absence of visible results.
“You borrow money from Europe, and before it even arrives, it’s already spent over there,” he remarked.
“So, I don’t understand — what can Nigerians see? The President goes to commission 30 kilometres out of 700, and that becomes a media event. What are they doing with our money?”
The federal government has not yet officially responded to Lawal’s comments.
However, the growing chorus of concern — especially from within the political class — reflects increasing public frustration with the pace and transparency of infrastructure projects under Tinubu’s leadership.
As the debate intensifies over infrastructure, debt, and governance, many Nigerians will be watching closely to see whether the administration can turn the tide or whether criticism like Lawal’s will become the prevailing narrative.