The debate over potential conflicts of interest surrounding the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project has taken a new turn, with Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, stepping forward to defend Seyi Tinubu’s right to engage in business ventures. Onanuga’s response comes in the wake of accusations leveled by former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar regarding President Bola Tinubu’s alleged ties to the project’s contractor, Hitech Construction Company.
In a statement signed by Onanuga on Monday in Abuja, it was emphasized that Seyi Tinubu’s involvement in business activities is well within his rights as a Nigerian citizen, irrespective of his familial connections. Onanuga challenged the notion that Seyi’s position on the board of CDK, a tiles manufacturing company, constitutes a conflict of interest in the context of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project.”We found it strange that Alhaji Atiku could accuse President Tinubu of conflict of interest in the award of Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway to Hitech Construction Company which he claimed is owned by Chagoury family because the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, sits on the board of CDK, a tiles manufacturing company, based in Sagamu, Ogun State,” Onanuga stated, addressing Atiku’s allegations directly.
Onanuga went on to highlight the hypocrisy he perceives in Atiku’s accusations, citing Atiku’s own business dealings during his tenure as Vice President. He questioned the credibility of Atiku’s claims, particularly in light of Atiku’s admission to forming Intels Nigeria with an Italian businessman while serving in the Nigeria Customs Service, a move that was considered a breach of public service regulations.
Furthermore, Onanuga stressed that Seyi Tinubu’s directorship at CDK is a legitimate business arrangement that predates his father’s assumption of the presidency. He clarified that Seyi’s involvement in CDK represents the interests of an investor company in which he holds a stake, rather than a result of familial connections to the Chagoury family.
“It is important to state clearly that Seyi Tinubu is a 38 year-old adult who has a right to do business and pursue his business interests in Nigeria and anywhere in the world within the limits of the law,” Onanuga asserted, reiterating Seyi’s autonomy as a businessman.
