Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has clarified that no property belonging to Landmark Africa was destroyed during the construction of Phase 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. The minister made the statement on Saturday during the formal inauguration of the project in Lagos, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Landmark Africa, operators of the popular Landmark Beach, had earlier alleged that the Federal Government demolished parts of its property worth billions of naira in the course of the road development. The company had reportedly sought compensation for the purported loss.
However, addressing the president and other dignitaries at the commissioning ceremony, Umahi dismissed the claims, stating that the infrastructure of Landmark Africa remained untouched. He explained that what was affected was the company’s unauthorized encroachment on the federal shoreline.
“Mr President, I want to state that we did not harm Landmark property,” Umahi said. “As you are going, sir, you will see where this dual carriageway is divided into two. It is by your order that we should save as much infrastructure as possible, even though they violated the gazetted route, we did that, Mr President.
“The Landmark infrastructure is intact; what went off was their encroachment on our front shoreline. And the Supreme Court ruled that 250 metres from the shoreline belong to the Federal Government, and so we didn’t do that,” he added.
The minister also revealed that President Tinubu has directed all governors of states affected by major federal infrastructure projects to allocate a minimum of 500 metres from the edge of the carriageway. This buffer, according to Umahi, will be integrated into a broader tolling arrangement along the highway.
While referencing existing laws that exempt the Federal Government from paying compensation for informal settlements and shanties along public roads, Umahi noted that President Tinubu had nonetheless instructed that compensation be paid to those affected. He confirmed that a total of ₦18 billion has already been disbursed as compensation for Phase 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
The coastal highway project, which has generated significant public interest and scrutiny, is expected to boost economic activity and improve transport connectivity across southern Nigeria upon completion.
