The Federal Government has decided to change the plans for the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project, which has also protected telecommunications infrastructure and submarine cables in the Okun-Ajah community area.
The presidential directive saved the demolition of telecom companies like MTN, along with their submarine cables and workstations in the Okun-Ajah community.
This decision followed a thorough assessment of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the area’s infrastructure and business activities.
Demolition started on April 29, 2024, at Landmark Beach Resort on Victoria Island’s Oniru area because it was encroaching on the designated path for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, discussed this at a stakeholders meeting in Lagos about compensation and the EIA on the coastal road project.
He informed the Okun-Ajah community and traditional institutions in Lagos about the changes.
the Okun-Ajah community had warned the federal and Lagos State governments that the original highway route would threaten six villages and displace three traditional kings.
This prompted a need to redesign the route to preserve the community’s 600-year heritage. The president decided to adjust the project to save properties and infrastructure in Okun-Ajah.
Umahi explained that the initial plan would have required demolishing over 750 houses, while the new route would impact 450 houses.
The project followed legal processes, including approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Property owners with valid titles will receive compensation for any demolition. Mr. Iliyasu Abdullah, Group CEO of Machine and Equipment Consortiums Africa, emphasized the importance of protecting the submarine cables and workstations that support critical internet infrastructure.
In a video shared by journalist Laila Johnson-Salami, Okun-Ajah community members praised the Tinubu-led administration for abandoning the initial plan.
The previous route had led to the demolition of ancestral homes and several businesses, including the Landmark Beach Resort.
So what will happen to the properties already destroyed?
For those who defended this, how dumb do they look now?
Lastly, have you seen why investors won't come and FDI won't flow?
Very unstable folks. No true businessman will invest in instability. https://t.co/L8a3eSBv3A
— DISTINGUISHED KPMG LinkedIn Everest (@novieverest) May 23, 2024
This comes one month after the Lagos State Government began demolition of the Landmark Beach Resort for the construction of the coastal highway, as part of the Lagos-Calabar road project.
