Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group, has openly praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its “visionary leadership” in flood control and infrastructure development projects.
In an open letter, Dangote expressed appreciation for the President’s efforts, particularly highlighting the transformative Bar Beach Land Reclamation project (Eko Atlantic City) and the ongoing nationwide superhighway constructions.
Dangote’s commendation, tagged, “Open Letter To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR: Appreciation”, was shared by the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, via his X handle on Wednesday.
In his open letter, Dangote drew a parallel between the success of the Eko Atlantic City project and the recent flash flooding incident in Kerr County, Texas, USA, which claimed over 100 lives.
He praised Tinubu’s “foresightedness” in initiating the Eko Atlantic City, a modern city spanning 1,000 hectares and protected by an 8.5-kilometre-long sea wall, which has effectively shielded Victoria Island from coastal erosion and provided new land for development.
“Your Excellency, this success story, which is now being used for residential, business, and recreational purposes, is amongst your many legacies, and those of us who live in Victoria Island are much better off for it,” Dangote wrote, applauding the President’s “exemplary intervention in ending the era of ocean surge and in continuous tackling the issue of perennial flooding affecting areas such as Ahmadu Bello Way, Akin Adesola Street, Bishop Oluwole Street, Amodu Ojikutu Street, Adetokunbo Ademola Street and Karimu Kotun Street, among others.”
Beyond flood control, the Africa’s richest man commended Tinubu for kickstarting major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway and the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway.
He particularly noted the latter’s significance as a “resurrection of a 48-year-old project,” both of which are being handled by the “first-rate construction and civil engineering firm in Hitech Construction Company Limited.”
Dangote further highlighted the resemblance of Nigeria’s land reclamation efforts to similar successful projects in Zeeland, Netherlands, where submerged land was transformed into usable dry land, primarily for agriculture and settlement.
This, he stated, “is a testament to the Dutch ingenuity and perseverance in managing water resources and creating a habitable landscape in a challenging environment. The same ethos resonates in the Bar Beach project, for which I salute you!”
Dangote Industries Limited also offered its condolences to the families affected by the flooding catastrophe in Texas as part of its corporate social responsibility.
The letter concluded with an announcement that the Aliko Dangote Foundation would soon “be announcing plans of contributing to a Climate Fund that will target those vulnerable parts of our country which are susceptible to this natural disaster.”
Reacting to the commendation, Onanuga noted that Dangote’s position offered “an honest assessment of Tinubu’s leadership, contrasts sharply with opposition claims that the president has achieved nothing in the past two years.”
