The federal government of Nigeria has begun the demolition for the Lagos-Calabar highway. The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ordered the shutdown of the Lagos beach beginning on Sunday.
He disclosed this information on Saturday in a press briefing held at Landmark Beach in Lagos.
He said, “We want to start the demolition from this point. I continue to say that none of the infrastructure is affected, just the huts, and I have directed that the beach should be shut down starting tomorrow.
“The place is owned by people who are filling it with sand, and at the end of the day, there is no more beach, so what we are doing is passing our coastal road within the right-of-way of the Federal Government. Those who are playing politics with it can go ahead; my job is simple: to pass the coastal road.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi also said that between Wednesday or Thursday, compensation fees will be disbursed.
In his words, he said, “From Wednesday/Thursday, I will pay the compensation. That is why I am still here, and I will be here working through the week. For anyone (all that has been confirmed and deserving) being demolished, we would direct the payment to be made.
“I know that you must pay before you demolish, but this is President Bola Tinubu’s government. We have said we would pay compensation, and we are going to pay compensation.”
He also stated that the government’s commitment is to stay along the coastline.
He added, “We are not doing this for any particular reason, we are considering the most economical and bibilical way to pass this coastal road without much damage and we are also considering the economic value of the coastal road if we stay within the coast.”
According to the Minister, demolition was necessary because the landmark centre was the federal government’s Right-of-way.
The federal controller of works in Lagos, Korede Keisha, had information on all those whose houses were marked to report to the federal secretariat in Lagos to sort out the payment process.
She reported that the demolition team would arrive on Saturday to remove the marks and begin the demolition.
The Minister of Works had previously disclosed that the Lagos-Calabar coast road project is expected to take over eight years to complete.
The road is designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before coming to Cross River.
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