By Jimoh Babatunde

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, Sunday, revealed that those affected by the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway construction will be compensated as final disbursement will begin soon.

Speaking at the National Assembly Joint Committee on Works and the Federal Ministry of Works stakeholders engagement on the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project held at Eko Hotel, Lagos, the Minister said the Ministry will disburse final compensation payments to those affected by the project within the next ten days.

He disclosed that the federal government approbed N18 billion as compensation to owners of properties affected by the construction of the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.

Umahi added that the compensation has increased from the initial N8 billion to about N18 billion, to ensure fair requital of the affected citizens.

“The federal executive council initially approved N8 billion for this corridor, but today we are hitting N18 billion, and this is just for section one,” the minister said.

He noted that half of the compensation had already been paid to the affected persons, adding that the amount was justified and determined by independent experts.

He advised aggrieved persons to stop politicising the coastal highway project and approach the courts like other aggrieved persons.

He noted that the President was magnanimous in authorising payment for compensations to owners of even illegal structures.

“We have a lot of people who are not interested that this work be done, and yes, there are petitions, but I commend those who went to court.

Umahi also stated that President Bola Tinubu has directed that all roads across the country be fixed while the Lagos Calabar Coastal highway construction goes on.

“He has directed that the entire motorways should be made motorable. There should be no port holes. And I think in the next seven days that directive will be fully carried out.”

He added the directive by Mr. President to fill and repair the roadworks so that people can have a new lease of life will be carried out.

Umahi , who said the review of the Environmental Impact Assessment of the project would take care of all concerns , called Governors in various states to go on with construction of road infrastructure across their states emphasizing there were no distinctions between roads in the federation.

But there were disagreements by some stakeholders, including lawyers and valuation experts, who argued that the compensation was inadequate and the process fell short of accepted standards.

Mr. Olusola Enitan, a lawyer and valuation expert, contended that the amount provided did not meet fair compensation benchmarks.

Enitan said, “Somebody who had a home is now renting with no capacity to replace what was taken from him.”

He made references to several Supreme Court rulings supporting the right to fair compensation.
While addressing the issue of compensation, the Minister said he had lost properties in Rivers and Abia states to similar acquisition, but added that his hands were tied u der the law for satisfactory compensation of all those affected.

He noted that the Federal Ministry of Works was operating within legal guidelines and remained open to reviewing additional documents to facilitate swift compensation.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary federal ministry of works, Yakubu Kofarmata, said President Bola Tinubu meant well for the country by approving the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal high way knowing it will bring about development.

The Permanent Secretary, who also spoke at the stakeholders’ engagement, Sunday, appealed to affected communities to ensure the project went on.

Earlier, Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Olukorede Kesha, lauded the unprecedented progress of work since the outset of the Tinubu’s led government and for the timely release of funds for execution of major projects.

The contractor handling the project also said the local communities will be empowered in the course of execution of the project as some of the dredged areas will be turned into fish ponds.

Also, Chairmen of Works committees at the National Assembly led by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Peter Nwenbonyi, commended President Tinubu and the ministry for their transparency following the stakeholders meeting which addressed the alignment issues, stressing that whoever was affected would be duly compensated while cautioning against ethnic colouration of the project.

Earlier, the members of the National Assembly had passed a vote of confidence in the Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, affirming the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a work in progress.

The joint committee members passed the vote of confidence in Umahi when he led them on on-the-site assessment of the ongoing infrastructure projects in Lagos.

The members assured the Ministry of Works of adequate support amidst petitions allegedly slowing down the pace of work on the coastal road.

They commended President Bola Tinubu for the project they unanimously endorsed as a legacy for his administration.

The legacy project, they said was designed to cut across all regions of the country, with high economic benefits.

Also, chairman of the house of representatives committee on works, Akin Alabi,commended the ministry for transparency and stakeholders’ engagement in the compensation process.

He emphasised the need for the ministry to publish compensation details to counter misinformation and promote accountability.

“There are mischief makers out there, but by the time we start to publish these things, some people will have to keep quiet,” Alabi said.