The management of Landmark Beach said more than 80 businesses and 12,000 jobs will be affected if the government demolishes the leisure centre for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
This was contained in a press release by the organisation on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Landmark Beach Resort, a popular tourist spot in Lagos, is embroiled in a dispute with the government regarding a proposed demolition to pave the way for the coastal highway project.
The owner of the resort, Paul Onwuanibe, was reportedly served a seven-day demolition notice in late March, raising worries about its effect on tourism and investment.
The government argued that the beach and other properties are situated within the specified right-of-way for the initial phase of the 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
In the press release titled “Clarifying Facts and Preserving Tourism Businesses Amidst Coastal Road Construction and Beach Sand Filling,” the management of the beach gave an update on the topic, which has generated a lot of controversy in the last few weeks.
“The issue of the Lagos Calabar Coastal Road passing through the Landmark Beach remains a topic of wide-reaching discourse and we think it necessary to clarify certain salient matters with the hope that this will help to keep the ongoing conversation centered on achieving a win- win solution that secures the unhindered development of the Coastal Road while preserving a major tourism outpost on the West African coast.
“We would especially like to address these matters in light of the sudden acceleration of the sand filling works, which has the potential to further disrupt activities in our tourism platform,” the organisation said in the statement.
Along the original 1.5-kilometre coastal road route, which passes through the Water Corporation Road median, there are no permanent structures whatsoever, the management noted.
This original alignment remains unused, undeveloped, and available to date for the development of the coastal highway, and we feel that rerouting back to this original alignment is one of the several credible win-win solutions that exist that will also avoid disruption to the beach, the statement said.
The management also clarified that Landmark has never been consulted on the coastal highway alignment, nor have they been engaged in discussions with regards to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project on the leisure centre.
Landmark noted that the accelerated sand filling of its shoreline has sent widespread panic and fear to the independent businesses, suppliers, employees, investors, financiers, and clients that all conduct business within the ecosystem.
The management noted that over 80 businesses have invested between ₦15-20 billion, excluding the ₦20 billion from Landmark in the environment, and “all of these businesses will undoubtedly be affected if the alignment is not changed. Pictures, videos, and a physical inspection can ascertain the extent of the real beach infrastructure investment made by Landmark and the businesses operating on the beach.”
“The entire Ecosystem, the over 80+ businesses operating within and the livelihoods of over 12,000 Nigerians directly and indirectly employed by it, would be gravely jeopardised if it is contemplated that the beach is demolished,” the statement stated.
Landmark claimed that it has brought in over $100 million in foreign direct investment since the beginning of its operations at the site 17 years ago.
The management said it looks forward to “working continuously with the Lagos State government to achieve a win- win solution that preserves the Landmark Beach, retains the ethos of the coastal road, and maintains Lagos and Nigeria as a beacon for positive development in the tourism industry.”
