In an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, industrialist Aliko Dangote, has praised the “visionary leadership and farsightedness” behind Lagos’s Bar Beach Land Reclamation project, while revealing plans for a new climate initiative.
The letter came days after deadly floods in Texas, USA, which claimed over 100 lives, a tragedy Dangote contrasted with Tinubuโs preventative infrastructure legacy.
“Your foresightedness is even more visible in view of the tragic incident in Kerr County, Texas,” wrote Dangote, referencing the Eko Atlantic City project which has transformed a flood-prone coastline into “an emerging new district, with a defining skyline and a receptacle for direct investment” since its 2008 inception.
The 1,000-hectare development, protected by an 8.5-kilometre sea wall, now safeguards Victoria Island from erosion while hosting residential and commercial properties on land “created through sand dredging from the Atlantic Ocean.”
The billionaire specifically credited Tinubuโs interventions for ending “the era of ocean surge” along key thoroughfares including Ahmadu Bello Way and Adetokunbo Ademola Street. “Those of us who live in Victoria Island are much better off for it,” he stated, noting the projectโs success in tackling perennial flooding that once plagued Lagosโs business districts.
Dangote drew parallels between Tinubuโs approach and Dutch water management, citing Zeelandโs land reclamation as a similar “testament to ingenuity and perseverance in managing water resources.”
This comparison underscores the letterโs central theme: that proactive leadership, as demonstrated by the president during his tenure as Lagos governor, saves lives and stimulates economic growth.
The industrialist also commended ongoing federal projects including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, the latter described as “a resurrection of a 48-year-old project.” Both undertakings, handled by Hitech Construction Company Limited, are significantly “enriching the countryโs stock of infrastructure,” according to the letter.
In a surprise announcement, Dangote revealed that the Aliko Dangote Foundation will establish a Climate Fund targeting flood-vulnerable regions. “As we commiserate with the families of those who died in the Texas flooding incident, we are also grateful for your compassionate and visionary leadership,” he wrote, linking the initiative to Tinubuโs example. The fund aims to mitigate Nigeriaโs own “significant losses in lives and property due to rising sea levels.”
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