Categories: metro

Lagos-Calabar coastal road: FG increases compensation amount, gives 10 days for payment

By Dada Jackson

The Federal Government has increased the compensation for property owners and individuals affected by the ongoing 700 kilometres Lagos-Calabar coastal highway to N18bn.
Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, announced this in Lagos during National Assembly Joint Committee on Works and Federal Ministry of Works Stakeholders’ Engagement in Victoria Island, on the ongoing project to address the grey areas in the construction process.
Umahi announced that the amount was increased from N8bn by President Bola Tinubu to mitigate the impact on the citizens and ensure the successful completion of the project.
The minister said payment of compensation would be completed within 10 days, adding that their names and photographs would be published.
Umahi urged all the stakeholders to support the project because of the overall benefits and advised those that are aggrieved to shun violent protest, but to seek redress in court.
Meanwhile, the minister also disclosed that the President had directed immediate repairs of all roads across the country to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians using them.
According to him, there is no distinction between roads in the federation and urged all the state governors to go on with the construction of roads across the states.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Mpigi Barinada, and his counterpart at the House of Representatives, Mr Akin Alabi, commended President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Works for organising the stakeholders’ engagement to address the grey areas and the alignment issues.
The lawmakers said whosoever is affected by the project would be adequately compensated and cautioned against ethnic colouration of the project by some people.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Yakubu Kofarmata, noted that President Tinubu meant well by approving the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, stressing that it would bring development and urged the communities to support the project.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, spoke on the progress of work made so far, since the inception of the administration of President Tinubu, with the release of funds for execution of all projects, adding that the progress of work in Lagos was unprecedented.
The stakeholders’ engagement was characterized by complaints from a few property owners at Okun Ajah, affected by diversion from the gazetted alignment due to cables of a telecommunications company and power stations, which the minister reiterated was recommended by verifiable experts and in larger public interest.