Fashola under fire for ‘deceptive’ tweet on privately-funded road

Nigerians are angrily reacting to a tweet by Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, on a six-kilometre road project in Ondo state.

In the tweet on Friday, the minister said he visited the state two weeks ago to inaugurate the 6KM road network.

He tweeted without mentioning the financier of the project and only said the event marked another completed project in the road sector.

“Two weeks ago I visited Ondo State for the official commissioning of the 6KM road network in Ilara-Mokin, Akure, Ondo State. This marks another completed project in the road sector,” he wrote.

The tweet elicited wild reactions as some Nigerians on the social network called him out, saying the project was funded by Michael Ade-Ojo, chairman, Toyota Nigeria Limited.

Reacting to the tweet, one Young Otutu asked the minister to desist from taking credit for ”another man’s sweat”.

“This marks another completed project in the road sector” False. This is not a govt project. This was constructed by the owner of Elizade Motors. Please adjust this tweet and don’t take credit for another man’s sweat,” he wrote.

Nnamdi Emehelu, another commenter, wrote: “The road was built by Elizade for his community. You only commissioned it. So why tweet it as if it was a govt project?”

Fashola was embroiled in another controversy earlier in November when he said Nigerian roads are not as bad as they are portrayed to be.

Bamidele Salam, a member of the house of representatives from Osun state, challenged the minister to a 90-day tour of the roads.

The minister is yet to accept the challenge.