*Lagos residents kick against extension of right-of-way

By Christopher Oji

As the Federal Government begins demolition of structures within the first three kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway tomorrow, property owners and residents of Okun Ajah community in Lagos, have protested against what they described as deviation from the established right-of-way.

The 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project is designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through the coastal states of Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom, before culminating in Cross River and will be constructed at N15 trillion, with a kilometre costing N4 billion.

At a news conference in Lagos, yesterday, the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mrs. Korede Keisha, said structures to be demolished would be those within the designated right of way for the project.

She urged property owners who received demolition notices and have concerns to visit the secretariat of the Federal Ministry of Works until today to discuss their concerns.

“We’ve sent out demolition notices to as many as are within the right of way and we are using this medium now to say that everyone that has any concern within that corridor and has been served, the secretariat is open to them from 3pm.

“We are welcoming them from today till tomorrow. Whatever you have to do along that axis, and then we’ve come to you and marked you down for demolition, we are asking that you see us at the secretariat from today till tomorrow evening. Thereafter, the demolition squad will move to action by Saturday morning for the first three kilometres.

“For the first three kilometres, anything within the right of way of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be dropped down from Saturday morning.

“So, I want to use this medium to reach out to as many as we cannot put calls across to, that this will go a long way to let them know that their issues will be sorted out between today and tomorrow, especially, if you are within zero to three kilometres of the projects and you have been marked; you have been identified as standing in the right of way of the project corridors.”

The affected property owners and residents are, however, appealing to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State House of Assembly to investigate the recent marking of buildings and other places for demolition by officials of the Lagos State government.

Hundreds of the residents during a peaceful protest at the Lagos State House of Assembly and other places accused officials of the Lagos State Physical and Urban Planning Agency of extending the right-of-way beyond the established  delineation.

The protesters said the Coastal Road project, initiated in 2006, had its right-of-way distinctly defined and gazetted and that the community had respected the coastal road alignment and ensured no development encroached upon the coastal road boundary.

According to the protesters, it was emphasised that those who flouted the right-of-way and built on it, creating obstructions, should face consequences to act as a deterrent to others.

Many of the affected property owners proactively secured certificates of occupancy and  survey plans, which were reportedly signed by the then governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and the then surveyor general.

The protesters said the survey delineated the sanctioned and gazetted coastal road alignment along the coastline and that they adhered strictly to the delineations.

One of the protesters, who simply identified himself as Fasisi, said: “To our surprise, we discovered the officials from the Lagos State Physical Planning and Urban Development Agency were marking properties for demolition, even those outside the gazetted coastal road alignment.

“The markings followed the original alignment from Ahmadu Bello Way but began to deviate upon reaching the Okun-Ajah community.

“The purpose of the protest is to bring to the government’s attention the unexpected and illegitimate deviation from the original gazetted right-of-way for the coastal road.

“The traditional landowners, residents, and property owners are calling for the preservation of the status quo, which will reinforce their trust and confidence in both the federal and Lagos State governments.”

The protesters said the deviation would create chaos, confusion and anarchy in some parts of Lagos communities.

They also claimed that many investors that had broken the banks to invest in the area would be greatly affected by the new markings by officials of the state government

According to the affected property owners and residents, the government can reduce the humongous compensations to be paid by resorting to the original right-of-way.

They also foresee a floodgate of litigation that may hamper or slow down the pace of work on the proposed coater road.

They, therefore, called on President Tinubu and the Lagos State government to urgently look into the right-of-way impasse.(The SUN)