The Nigerian Government has started a 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway which will pass through several communities, leading to demolitions.
Residents of Iwerekun and other coastal communities in Ajah in the Eti-Osa local government area of Lagos State have lamented facing the risk of being homeless following the threat of an imminent demolition in the area.
The Nigerian Government has started a 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway which will pass through several communities, leading to demolitions.
The Lagos State Government had disclosed its intention to start removing illegal building extensions and attachments across the state.
Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, recently revealed this information in Ikeja, the state capital.
However, the Take It Back Movement in a video posted on its X handle on Friday of its engagement with community leaders, lamented that the coastal communities in Ajah are facing the threat of an imminent demolition that could render thousands of them homeless.
Our engagement with community leaders from Iwerekun and other coastal communities in Ajah facing the threat of an imminent demolition that could render thousands of them homeless. They also risk a total annihilation of their 500year old history and cultural heritage.#Thread pic.twitter.com/t6r32AnemV
— Take it back Movement (@TIBmovement) April 19, 2024
The group said that the residents also risk a total annihilation of their 500-year-old history and cultural heritage.
One of the residents said in the video, "Our elderly fathers are on the seat now. Our Baale and all the chiefs in Iworokun are here. No one accepted the compensation of our ancient community for the past years (sic). Where are we moving to? We are pleading with the government, the Federal Government, Lekki local government to please retain our community."
Another one said: "We shouldn't be moved from here. They should pity us so that we won't turn out as slaves where they are relocating us to.
“They also have a place they came from so they should please not relocate us. We are humbly begging because we know that the road construction will be to everyone's advantage but still, we should be pitied.
“The alignment should be returned to the old one to prevent it affecting us here. We are earnestly pleading."
"It would damage and affect so many things, because even where our children are schooling and the place we spent so much money building would be damaged by the placement.
"The government should please return it to the former location. The former location is very far from the residential areas. If they are to use this current location, it will affect the indigenes, our schools, hospitals and everything. They've all been marked," another resident lamented.
Similarly, Landmark Realty, a property development company, earlier lamented the plan by the Nigerian government to have the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road cut through its ecosystem, contrary to the initial plan.
According to Landmark Group, it is in the business of creating enabling environments for the provision of world-class business, leisure, hospitality and tourism services within its ecosystem known as Landmark Lagos, located along the Water Corporation Road, Oniru, Victoria Island Lagos, and along the road’s proposed right of way.
In its ‘Briefing Note On The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road Construction And The Preservation Of Tourism And Hospitality Businesses Along The Coastal Right Of Way,’ the company called for an in-depth consultation to safeguard the growth of tourism and hospitality Industry.
It stressed that the original construction plan for the road – as part of the West Africa coastal highway – was to go through the Water Corporation Road Median.
According to Landmark Realty, the median is still undeveloped.
It, therefore, expressed surprise that the plan was changed to now cut across its ecosystem “with over 80 businesses operating within” it.
A Google Earth photo provided by the company shows the proposed and original paths of the road.
It sought the intervention of the Nigerian government in rerouting 1.5km out of the 700km cutting across its ecosystem, to its original location.
It said, “Landmark acquired beachfront realty along the Water Corporation Road in 2007 and at the time, the original construction plan for the Road as part of the West Africa coastal highway was to go through the Water Corporation Road median which to date remains undeveloped.
“The Landmark Group is now seeking the government’s intervention in facilitating the rerouting of just about 1.5km out of the 700km stretch of the Road to its original location on the Water Corporation Road median.”
The company said it welcomed over 3 million visitors in 2023; “a significant number of which were from the diaspora or foreigners who came to enjoy ‘Detty December’ in what is arguably the premier leisure and tourism destination along the West African coastline”.