Umahi Explains Why FG Will Not Compensate Landmark Beach

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has stated that Paul Onwuanibe, the Group Chief Executive Officer and founder of The Landmark Group, has no grounds to claim compensation from the Federal Government following the demolition activities related to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

Naija News reports that the minister made this statement during a press briefing at the ongoing demolition of properties along the coastline in preparation for the major infrastructure project.

The Federal Government’s initiative involves clearing properties along the shoreline, significantly impacting areas around the Landmark Beach owned by The Landmark Group.

Despite the proximity of these demolitions to Landmark’s properties, Minister Umahi clarified that the structures owned by The Landmark Group were deliberately spared from demolition.

Explaining the government’s position, Umahi emphasized that since the beach is situated within the designated right-of-way, 15 meters from the shoreline, it does not qualify for any claims.

“No claim for Landmark, we spared all his infrastructure. We don’t pay for the demolition of shanties because it is on our right-of-way,” Umahi stated, adding that the government had made significant efforts to avoid damaging the core structures of Landmark Beach.

The minister also responded to Onwuanibe’s actions and comments, suggesting that the business owner was politicizing the situation.

“The Landmark owner is acting like a politician. Me, I’m an engineer. While he does all the politics, I am an engineer, I’ll do the engineering work,” Umahi remarked, indicating a dismissive stance towards any claims of compensation from Onwuanibe.