By Kingsley Adegboye

Developer and promoter of Eko Atlantic City, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, has disclosed that it is worst hit by the construction of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal highway as it is losing a whopping N87 billion worth of its sand-filled and reclaimed land as a result of a new alignment of the road to avoid massive demolitions within the right of way of the super highway.

South Energyx further noted that it is out to put records straight that the land on which the demolished Landmark and Oniru beaches operated belonged to Eko Atlantic.

According to the company, the beach fronts, measuring 182,442 square metres were part of the 1,037.763 hectares of land acquired in 2007 by it for the development of Eko Atlantic City, pointing out that South Energyx was granted a Statutory Right of Occupancy over all the parcels of land measuring 1,037.763 hectares of land being reclaimed by the company on which Eko Atlantic City is being built.

Making the clarification at a media forum in Lagos weekend, Mr Larry Akanbi, the spokesperson of the company said, showing documents containing a copy of C-of-O. On the land.

He said that the management of Landmark Resort Beach and others, have been occupying various portions of the land, measuring 182,442 square metres, illegally, stressing that the company had in 2022, taken the case to Lagos High Court in Suit No. LD/6232GCM/2022 suing Oniru of Iruland, Olisa of Iruland, Balogun of Iruland, Olowa of Iruland, BB Landmark Realty Ltd, and Persons unknown as Defendants over its encroached parcels of land.

Akanbi said the Landmark beach and Oniru beach which fell on the alignment of the ongoing construction of the coastal highway, were actually part of the land for the Eko Atlantic City project, insisting that if the beach had not been affected by the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, it would definitely have been taken over by Eko Atlantic City project when work gets to the location.

He disclosed that the company lost reclaimed land worth N87 billion due to the realignment of the Lagos -Calabar super highway’s construction.

He said his company was actually the victim and not the aggressor as being portrayed by the public and the management of Landmark Beach Resort.

Explaining reason for the media forum now, he said:” What we are trying to do is to put our own fact out to let people know our own side of the story, that we are not enforcing anybody. In fact, if anything, we are the victim because before now, all of them have been enjoying Oniru beach and Landmark beach. It is our land they have been enjoying.”

He said the management of Eko Atlantic City had in 2022 written to Landmark’s management and other occupants of the beachfront to leave, but they refused, describing the ongoing construction of 700- km Lagos -Calabar Road project as an “intervening event.”

According to him, the claim of Landmark’s CEO that he bought the beach from Oniru family and sand filled the place with N1.2 billion was not true because Oniru land did not extend to the beach, calling on Landmark’s management to come out with the document as a proof if his land actually extended to the beach.

“Infact Oniru came out himself to show to the press that he did not sell the land to Landmark because Oniru land did not extend to that place.”

“Now our position is that Lagos state Government gave us a land for reclamation when it had the challenge of the beach overflow. I think they gave it for 78yrs and after that, it goes back to state government,” he said.

He said that Corporation Way was truly the original alignment of the new road, but that demolition of houses would have been more massive than what they are having now.

“Corporation Way was truly the original alignment they wanted to use but, if they start from this end, by the time they get to where Queen Event Centre is, the effect of demolition would be more massive than what they have now. They now said okay, there would be lesser demolition by shifting the alignment.

“In fact there is hardly any serious demolition right now in the sense that what has happened really is not like any of the structures of Landmark is affected. What has been consumed is the beach. Our position now is that, you didn’t own the beach. Where you are using today as the beach is part of our land, Eko Atlantic City and that, ideally, you should be paying us money but we have not asked you for any money because we were not in need of the land then.

“In fact that is the reason we engaged a lawyer to recover the money now that Landmark wants to be fighting us. What the federal government has even done now is to save some of the structures because they said that if they go by their own original alignment, it will consume part of the Landmark Event Centre and the Mall. “

According to him, the road was bent to the extent that it entered part of the sand filled and reclaimed land by Eko Atlantic Cty, pointing out that by this new alignment, the company is lossing land worth a whopping N87 billion.

“That is what we summed up to arrive at N87billion. That is the entire land that they will now lose along that area. If the land was not touched and was to be sold, N78 billion was the amount Eko Atlantic would have realised but they are now losing this much. This is enough pain for the company on its own. But you are now saying that they injured you. How have we injured you?”

He disclosed that in 2013, there was nothing like beach at the location, going by the Google image until 2018 when sand started settling there as a result of the reclamation being done for Eko Atlantic City

“If you go on Google app, it will show that up to 2018, that beach did not exist at all. It was 2018 we saw progressively when we were doing reclamation. The sand started settling there before he started his business on it,

“Ideally, they should be paying money for the land they are using for the beach, but we didn’t request for money because we were not in need of the land then, Infact, we have engaged the services of lawyers to recover the money now that the owners of Landmark want to fight us.

“What they have done to save so many structures from being demolished is they decided to bend the original alignment to one side. And by so doing, two parties are now affected. They are the federal government’s coastal highway and Eko Atlantic City, thereby causing Eko Atlantic City to lose N87 billion worth of sandfilled and reclaimed land.

“The story is being tilted against Eko Atlantic City rather than being the victim. That is what is happening and this is the impression we don’t want the public to have. The summary of it all is that Oniru is not the owner of Oniru beach. They are enjoying themselves there because it is free.

“If there is anyone to be challanged, it should be Oniru challenging Lagos state government and not the management of Eko Atlantic City being challenged. You have been enjoying me without paying me money, you ought to be paying me ideally from the money you make on that beach if I wanted to sit on my right but I’m not even insisting on my right,” he noted.