David Umahi, Minister of Works, on Wednesday, accused Paul Onwuanibe, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Landmark Africa Group, of politicising issues arising from the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project.
Umahi spoke on Wednesday in Lagos during a stakeholders’ meeting on the road project.
Recently, the federal government commenced the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road, which is expected to run through the shoreline of beach resorts in Lagos, while traversing eight other states.
This is despite the outcry in some sections about the potential jobs and means of livelihood that will be lost.
Umahi, while defending the demolition noted that the move was necessary considering the landmark centre was located on the Federal Government’s Right-of-Way.
The minister had earlier assured that with the design of the coastal highway project, only 50 metres of the shoreline and a few shanties will be removed while “permanent structures” will be left intact.
On April 18, Onwuanibe said the government had not formally contacted the resort on the impact the project would have on the beach business.
Onwuanibe argued that the highway’s original plan will not only save businesses that will be destroyed due to the revised plan but also save the government money and manpower.
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“The original alignment of the coastal road was Water Corporation Road. I mean, you had the picture on your screen, and it showed quite clearly the Water Corporation Road, the two feeder lanes, and then the medium that was meant to house it.
“Then there’s Landmark, and there’s the beach, and there’s the sea. The alignment was changed from Water Corporation Road… so instead of it running on the land side of Landmark, it’s going to run on the beach side of Landmark,” he had said.
Acknowledging that though Landmark may have sublet the area along its shoreline to some individuals, Umahi said it never had ownership of the shoreline and the individuals that the shoreline was sublet to are there illegally.
He said, “Mr President says that this development must have two factors. One is the fear of God, the second one is human face and that’s what we have tried to do. We’ve taken hard decisions. In some cases we have followed the gazetted routes. In other cases, we have realigned to the coastal line, majorly. And the coastal line from the shore, 250 metres by the Supreme Court judgement belongs to the federal government.
“I talk in particular about Landmark. There is none of his infrastructure that is affected. I agree that there are some people he sublet the place to, but the shoreline was never given to him by the Oniru family, so these people he sublet to, erected some caravans, makeshifts, so on and so forth within the shoreline. And if you go to the shoreline, you will see a demarcation of what was given to him and you will see a different colour of the sand and you see by reason of the sand filling, the point that the sand is different colour. So, we are dealing these people that he sublet the shoreline to illegally.”
He further challenged Landmark to provide documentation giving him ownership of the shoreline around Landmark.
“I’ve asked him to bring his documents and I challenge him and his co-politicians to bring the documents. Let him flash the documents before the press.
“There is no inhumanity meted to Landmark. That matter should be buried. Quote me anywhere that the shoreline was never given to Landmark and we’ve taken back our shoreline, we are passing the road.”
