Lagos-Calabar coastal highway: Govt gives Landmark Beach Resort seven-day quit notice

Lagos-Calabar coastal highway: Govt gives Landmark Beach Resort seven-day quit notice 

A section of the popular Landmark Beach Resort in Lagos is set to be demolished for the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway to commence.

Already, Lagos State Government has forwarded a letter to the proprietor of Landmark Beach Resort, Paul Onwuanibe, to this effect.

The letter was dated March 19, 2024, and signed by the Deputy Director (Development Matters Department) Tpl Shomolu O., on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

In the letter, Lagos State authorities notified Onwuanibe that he has seven days to leave his multimillion-dollar beach resort.

Onwuanibe, 58, explained that the government said his Landmark Beach resort had to be removed as it “falls within the right of way” of a planned 700km (435-mile) coastal highway designed to link Lagos to Calabar, a port city near the border with Cameroon.

Onwuanibe told CNN he obtained the land in 2007 before the plans for the coastal highway were drawn up, and felt a mix of emotions after receiving the demolition order, which also urged him to file compensation claims.

“One was amazement, second was concern and the third one was, ‘is this real or is this an April Fools’ (Day prank in) advance?’” Onwuanibe said.

The beach resort which is valued at over $200 million, according to Onwuanibe, is home to over 80 businesses and provides more than 4,000 direct jobs. It also generates over 2 billion naira ($1.5 million) in annual tax revenue.

The state government also published the letter to the company in two different national newspaper on the demolition.