Lagos-Calabar road: Umahi urges understanding on compensation for demolished properties

The minister of works, David Umahi has urged Nigerians whose properties were demolished in order to create right of way for the Lagos-Calabar highway construction to show understanding and bear with the federal government, admitting that the compensation government is paying to them, in most cases, is below the market value of the affected properties.

The minister, who spoke in Lagos Friday during an inspection tour of the 700-kilometre coastal highway, said that compensation for affected property owners has been a priority, revealing that a total of N18 billion has allocated for payments.

“Some property owners feel underpaid, but we are using this opportunity to urge them to bear with the government; nobody ever meets expectations on compensation, but in our case, we are giving it a human face,” he said.

Umahi announced that the first phase of the highway would be commissioned on May 29, 2025, noting that there has been a significant progress in the construction of the 55-kilometre Section 1 of the highway.

According to him, the 10 kilometres Section 2 will be completed by the commissioning date, with additional work ongoing to connect the section to the Lagos border.

The project contractor, HiTech Construction, he said, has divided the 47-kilometer stretch of the highway into six lanes across five sections, with work going on simultaneously across all the sections.

“If you look around, you’ll see the extent to which work has gone. One major challenge has been the rerouting of the project alignment to avoid properties like Ocean Bay Estate, which was constructed on gazetted land,” he said, pointing out that the construction involves removing unsuitable materials and embedding stable soil to support the structure.

He emphasised that this adjustment demonstrates government’s commitment to minimize displacement while adhering to the project timelines.

He revealed that efforts to address utilities along the route were ongoing, adding that Nigerian Liquefied Petroleum Company (NLPC) has engaged with the ministry regarding gas pipelines and other installations in Ondo and Okunaki, with meetings scheduled to resolve the issues.

The minister said that the first 20 kilometres of Section 1 are expected to be commissioned by May 2025, with the remaining 17 kilometers slated for completion by the end of that year.

“The government has adopted a phased commissioning approach to address funding challenges and to ensure progress across multiple projects,” he said and outlined plans to prioritize other key road projects nationwide, including the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina-Kaduna route and the East-West Road spanning Lokoja to Benin.

Musa Saidi, the acting director in charge of road design, assured that the construction aligns strictly with the approved design. “Any realignment is for public interest, safety, and economic reasons,” Saidi said, adding that the contractor has exceeded specifications for concrete thickness to ensure durability.

However, the minister explained that a lot of progress has been made on the coastal roads with some being under-reported, while promising to ensure everything is done to complete the project under the renewed hope administration of President Bola Tinubu.