- Safiu Kehinde
Popular Nigerian businessman and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has hailed President Bola Tinubu over his visionary leadership and farsightedness.
Sequel to the flash flood disaster which claimed over 100 lives in Texas, United States, the CEO of Dangote Group had in a heartfelt open letter shared on X on Wednesday lauded Tinubu’s initiation of the Bar Beach Reclamation project in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The project which dated back to 2008 had, according to Dangote, transformed the Lagos coastline that was once prone to incessanr flood.
As contained in the letter dated 7th of July 2025, the businessman also commended the Eko Atlantic City project which spanned over 1000 hectares and protected by an 8.5 kilometre-long sea wall.
Dangote claimed that these are part of the legacies laid down by Tinubu which has been extended with the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway and the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway projects.
He maintained that the President had adopted a similar methodology of land reclamation process used by the Zealand and the Netherlands where submerged land is transformed into usable dry land for settlement and agriculture.
While commiserating with the families of deceased victims of Texas flood, Dangote pledged to contribute to a Climate Fund that will target vulnerable parts of Nigeria which are susceptible to similar natural disaster.
The letter read, “Your Excellency, I would like to express my deep appreciation to you for your visionary leadership and farsightedness on the Bar Beach Land Reclamation project in Victoria Island, Lagos State. Through this project, begun a process which has transformed a coastline that was once prone to incessant floods, to an emerging new district, with a defining skyline and a receptacle for direct investment and socioeconomic growth ever since its conception in 2008.
“Asiwaju of Africa, your foresightedness is even more visible in view of the tragic incident in Kerr County, Texas, USA where over 100 lives have sadly been lost to flash flooding. In the case of the Eko Atlantic City project spawned by you, a modem city spanning 1,000 hectares, protected by an 8.5-kilometre-long sea wall, protecting Victoria Island from coastal erosion and giving birth to a dwelling constructed from new land created through sand dredging from the Atlantic Ocean.
“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. I applaud your 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.
“Mr. President you added another feat by kickstarting the Lagos – Calabar coastal highway and the Sokoto
Badagry superhighway- significantly enriching the country’s stock of infrastructure while improving the national road network linking Nigeria’s six geo-political zones. The latter of the two, being a resurrection of a 48-year-old project and both being handled by a first-rate construction and civil engineering firm in Hitech Construction Company Limited.
“Indeed, Your Excellency, your inspired move recalls a similar methodology in a land reclamation process in Zeeland, Netherlands, where submerged land was transformed into usable, dry land, primarily for agriculture and settlement. This practice, which was applied to combat flooding, 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!
“For all of us at Dangote Industries Limited, 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, which has provided huge, consistent support for our businesses and enabled a more prosperous nation for the collective good.
“Our dear nation has also suffered significant losses in lives and properly due to rising sea levels and incidents of flash flooding. In honour of your vision, the Aliko Dangote Foundation will 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.
“Your Excellency, I pray that the Almighty Allah (S.W.T.) would continue to increase your wisdom, burnish your vision and inspire you to greater heights of success for the benefit of all Nigerians. Thank you very much, Asiwaju!”