In the heart of Okun Ajah community in Lagos, controversy is swirling around the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road Realignment project spearheaded by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi. Residents and landowners in the area recently expressed outrage over what they see as an illegal usurpation of their properties in the name of this infrastructure project.
In a poignant press conference, the affected residents, many of whom have filed legal actions against Umahi, the Ministry of Works, Hi-Tech Construction Company, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Attorney General, decried what they consider to be an unfair and illegal development.
Alhaji Abimbola Oshilaja, the spokesperson for the residents, strongly condemned the attempt to forcefully seize properties they legally acquired from the Lagos State Government. He noted that neither he nor the other affected owners, including Etisalat Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society and Mr. Olufemi Omoola Fasehun, were informed of the revocation of their land titles or offered compensation before the Ministry suddenly took the decision to change the alignment of the road through their properties.
The residents are concerned that over 400 homeowners are living in constant fear of having their homes destroyed by the authorities. “It is appalling that we, who have legitimate land titles, are being harassed while influential people who encroached on the coastal road route are being spared. This is gross injustice. Although we have taken the matter to court, we are still appealing to President Tinubu to come to our aid,” Mr Oshilaja said.
He argued that the actions of the Minister of Works contravene Section 28 of the Land Use Act, which requires notice of revocation, hearings and fair compensation before land can be acquired by government.
Adeyemi Tajudeen, a lawyer to some of the disgruntled residents, described the situation as an abuse of power, noting that Okun Ajah community was granted a comprehensive certificate of occupancy legally by Tinubu himself when he was the Governor of Lagos State in 2006. He explained that the initial alignment of the coastal road was not meant to affect the properties of the residents, but Umahi’s Ministry changed the route to favour some influential people. Tajudeen further said that the actions of the Ministry violate the Nigerian Constitution and the Land Use Act, noting that no revocation notice or offer of compensation had been issued to the affected landowners. “What Umahi is doing is punishing people who have legal and equitable rights to their land. This is a gross abuse of coercive power,” he added.
Despite the legal actions taken by the residents to stop further encrustation, they are urging President Tinubu, who is known as a defender of the rule of law, to intervene and ensure that the Minister reconsiders the original route of the coastal road project.