Section one of Lagos-Calabar coastal highway to be commissioned May 2025 – Umahi

 The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has disclosed that section one of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be completed and commissioned with its toll gate by May 2025.

Umahi, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abakaliki, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for giving all necessary support to ensure the actualisation of the project.

The Works Minister, who said the demolition of shanties and some infrastructure was ongoing, disclosed that compensation of about N2.7 billion has been paid, adding that another N7.13 billion will be paid before Monday.

He said, “As we are talking, the demolition of shanties and some infrastructure is ongoing. We paid compensation of about N2.7 billion. Between now and maybe Monday, we will pay another compensation of about N7.13 billion. We are paying compensation not because everybody deserves it but it’s also a way of helping people.

“When people build against the law, Mr. President is not the type who will punish people. The welfare of the people is what he signed first. So, it is also a way of helping even though we don’t encourage people to build against the law.

“The project is, of course, moving. In fact, section one has started in three sections and section two, which has just been approved, has also started. What people do not know is that as the road is moving, it is being connected to every existing or completed road.

“So, section one is 47.47 kilometres and we are moving very fast to see that by 29th of May, we would have finished that one, then we commission it with toll gate and then the combination of return on investment from the toll that will come and a lot will come up on the shoreline and the government will also make money from it. So, it will work,” he said.

Speaking on the alleged demolition of Landmark property, the Minister said, “I plead with our people, especially people of the Southeast. Let us go into investigative journalism. You know my status in society, who is Landmark? What investment does he have there that all this noise is being made? Go to Total Estate and find out. There are two Obas within that zone.

“Let me start from chainage zero. Chainage zero to chainage one plus 200 plus one point three kilometres, nothing was destroyed. If you get to chainage one point 500, you will see the house of Bolaji. Magnificent house, white house. It is bigger than one of Landmark’s properties. I did everything to save it, I couldn’t save it. He is a Yoruba person.

“He was a former local government chairman in Lagos State, former PA to Asiwaju and I am sure you heard him when he spoke. After his own, you now go to one of the Obas, Oniru. Oniru is the title holder of the entire place and they are the people that sold the land to Landmark. Landmark has two tall buildings. One is ongoing. He has the boundary that was sold to him. The Oniru family did not sell the shoreline to him. They did not.

“What he did is to now get tenants and put in the entire shoreline and he was collecting rent from them. None of Landmark properties was involved in the demolition and no permanent structure along that road. His property is chainage one plus 800. I saved his two properties, not because he is Landmark, but because I am a developer because whatever you sow is what you will reap. I thought I saved the house of Bolaji but it was not possible at all.

“I saved the Landmark property without knowing who had it. Whether Bolaji is a Yoruba person and Landmark is an Igbo man is not my business. I have grown above such sentiments. The two properties of Landmark were totally saved and some meters away from our right of way. I have asked Landmark to publish his title documents. Till today, he has not published it.

“In fact, if I do one hundred meter corridor, the two buildings of Landmark would have gone. We did 30 meters corridor to save his property and he is not grateful because he is using it for politics. He said he has two million staff and if the government were smart, they have to go and ask him for tax because if you are generating the number of billions he said he is generating, they have to check if he is paying tax and if he is not paying tax, then he has to either come and pay the balance of the tax or he will say look I lied.

“I thank the President, 100%. The impact we are making is because the man is very unyielding when it comes to supporting anybody he gives assignment. He is not the type you will go and lobby otherwise I would have failed because I had issues with a number of contractors who have been enjoying and cheating us for a very long time and I said no, they have to do the right thing.

“Then, they were lobbying everybody but couldn’t lobby the President because the President insisted the right thing must be done. Forget it, no Landmark property was destroyed. Landmark has no tilted document on our right of way, nor did the Oniru people wrongly or rightly give him the shoreline. And we have since passed. We continued 1.8 kilometres to chainage 20, 18 kilometres before we realigned. The Ukwuaja community were going to fight with me, including the gods there.

“I was getting ready for the fight. But When the stronger reason came, the President said do not tamper with the communication infrastructure, we had to do a detour. The correct thing is that we did not follow the proposed alignment, we went totally out of the two proposals to save principally the network cables,” he stated.

Source:TheWill