FG Faces Backlash Over Facilities Named After Tinubu

The Federal Government of Nigeria announced the renaming of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, marking it as the sixth public facility to bear his name since he assumed office in May 2023. The announcement was made by Minister David Umahi during a media briefing in Abuja.

Other facilities renamed include the Nigeria Immigration Service Command Control Centre in Abuja and the establishment of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Polytechnic in Gwarinpa, Abuja, set for June 2025. Critics, including Bolaji Abdullahi of the African Democratic Congress and Dr. Yinusa Tanko of the Obidient Movement, condemned the decision, labeling it as sycophantic and a misuse of public assets.

They argued that public infrastructure should not be named after individuals but should serve the state. Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong described the action as misguided, while former Deputy National Chairman of the People's Democratic Party, Bode George, raised concerns about the environmental implications of the coastal highway project.