Lagos-Calabar highway project won’t affect Landmark facilities, says Umahi

Dave Umahi, minister of works, says the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project will not affect Landmark Beach Resort facilities in Oniru.

Umahi spoke on Thursday during an interview on Arise television monitored by TheCable.

On April 7, Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, said the project is expected to lead to loss of jobs, citing a possible demolition of Landmark properties.

Abubakar, quoting the Landmark management, said the demolition would lead to the loss of over 12,000 direct and indirect jobs and over $200 million in investments.

Speaking during the interview, Umahi denied claims that jobs would be lost, noting that Landmark facilities are intact.

“I went to see Landmark yesterday. I had to tour that shoreline and it is not the only one that is involved,” the minister said.

“I just went there to understand something: His Excellency said that 12,000 jobs will be lost and I told Landmark that by what we are doing, no job will be lost.

“What could be lost is the shoreline and people that go to play at the shoreline, but his facilities are all intact because we reduced the corridor to 50 meters. I saw it, there is no permanent structure, other than a few shanties along that shoreline that is affected.

“So I told him no single job will be lost because all his distance is very much intact. There is no single of them that is to be demolished.”

Umahi said a recent supreme court ruling granted ownership rights of the land extending 250 meters from the shoreline to the federal government.

In another interview on TVC on April 10, Umahi had said Landmark was not authorised to construct the beach, adding that the company took advantage of the available space and annexed the shoreline which belongs to the federal government.

The minister also said about 80 percent of the first 1.3 kilometres of the project is completed.

“We did not call it Calabar-Lagos coastal road. We call it Lagos-Calabar coastal road, which means that there is a zero point, we have channel zero, and the channel zero happens to be at Ahmadu Bello way and it coincides with Eko Atlantic,” he said.

“So, I have started the project at channel zero, which is Ahmadu Bello and it is progressing. As at today, I can tell you that about 80% of the first 1.3 kilometer is completed.”

The 700-kilometre (km) Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project will cost N4 billion per kilometre, according to Umahi.