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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.
