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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Backlash as FG renames sixth facility after Tinubu

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Nigeria's Federal Government has faced criticism for renaming the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after President Bola Tinubu, marking the sixth public facility named in his honor since 2023.
  • Critics, including opposition party spokespersons and movement coordinators, decry the move as excessive sycophancy and a personalization of public assets.
  • Concerns were also raised about the timing, as the highway project is still under construction, and calls were made for the President to reject the renaming.

The Nigerian Federal Government's decision to rename the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after President Bola Tinubu has ignited a firestorm of criticism. This marks the sixth public facility to be named in the president's honor since he took office in 2023, drawing accusations of excessive sycophancy and the personalization of public infrastructure.

You cannot be using public money to build public infrastructure and personalising it. But this APC government has turned the state to personal property and everything around President Bola Tinubu.

— Bolaji AbdullahiNational Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, criticizing the renaming of public facilities.

Prominent figures have voiced strong opposition. Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, labeled the move "the highest form of sycophancy," asserting that the current administration treats public assets as personal property. He argued that naming infrastructure after oneself is indecent and that such honors should be bestowed by the nation after service, not by the leader themselves.

It is the highest form of sycophancy that we have ever witnessed, not even under military rule. It is also indecent. You cannot be naming things after yourself. When you serve the nation, the nation names things after you. It is very wrong.

— Bolaji AbdullahiAfrican Democratic Congress spokesperson on the practice of naming infrastructure after President Tinubu.

Dr. Yinusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, condemned the renaming, particularly highlighting that the coastal highway project remains incomplete. He questioned the "will for power and control" driving such decisions, urging the president to reject the honor as public infrastructure belongs to the state. Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bode George, advised caution, urging the president to "take things gently" and focus on critical issues like security and the potential environmental impacts, such as flooding, of the extensive project.

It doesn’t make sense at all. It goes to tell you the kind of will for power and control. Even the project has not been completed and you are naming it after yourself. It has not even gotten up to a quarter.

— Dr Yinusa TankoNational Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, commenting on the unfinished coastal highway project being named after the president.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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