Coastal road: Octogenarians seek Tinubu’s intervention on planned demolition of property

PROFESSOR Oluropo Sekoni, Dr. Kola Akinleye, Bonojo Olalekan and Festus Ogwu, who are property owners and residents of Lafiaji Community in Eti -Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State are retired senior citizens in their mid-80s.

They are calling on President Bola Tinunu to prevail on the Minister of Works, David Umahi from carrying out his demolition threat of their homes and property.

Their latest fear stemmed from the fact that their houses, where they have been living since retirement in Lafiaji community are under threat, having been marked for demolition by the Lagos State Government, acting at the behest of the Federal Government,  to give way to the proposed Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway.

In what they described as “Arbitrary deviation from the long-established Right-of – Way (RoW) by the Minister of Works and the threat to demolish their property, they are appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call the minister to order and direct him to revert to the original long-established RoW as directed by the president.

They cried out that they are not going to be forced to relinquish their property.

Speaking at a press conference on behalf of themselves and other affected property owners and residents in Lagos,  Dr  Kola Akinleye, 83  years,  appealed to the president to wade in and save their homes and properties from the impeding “unlawful and unwarranted demolition.”

Led by their counsel, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, Dr Akinleye said: “We are loyal to the government and that is why we are taking our steps gradually so that we are not seen as people who are sabotaging the efforts of the government to develop the country, but we are not going to be forced to relinquish our properties.

“That is the only one I have and you can imagine the impact on my family and the families of others who are in the same situation as I am.”

He explained that he was in the United States of America for Medical reasons with his wife when he received calls that government had sent a Demolition Notice to his door.

He said he had to abandon his medicals and return to Nigeria only to find out that the flower in front of the house had been vandalised just in an attempt to put some markings on the wall.

He said he was surprised and never imagined that such a thing could happen to him at 83 years.

His words:  “It was on 10th of May, 2024 that the government sent a demolition notice to my door and I was called. I was surprised because I know I didn’t contravene any infraction, so I had no reason to be afraid that my house was going to be demolished. I thought it was a mistake but the demolition notice was sent to me and I saw it and I knew that it was not a mistake.

“One week after, my wife and I left home for medical reasons in the US but I had no choice but to abandon my medical checkup; then we came back home. When I got home, the first evidence of demolition that I saw was that the flower in front of my house was vandalised. It is as if we were at the war front sort of. They vandalised the flower just in their attempt to put some markings on the wall, and you can imagine what you would feel, you’re not at war, you did not offend government. So it is ridiculous that this kind of thing happens to an individual.”

The octogenarian added: “I retired from government after serving for 25 years; I never got query, I can beat my chest for that both as a junior and senior officer, and I never imagined that kind of thing could happen to me at 83 years.

Because it is seaside area I felt I could spend the rest of my life there. So you can imagine the embarrassment that follows.”

He noted that some of the property owners in the community, including Professor Sekoni are senior citizens in the diasporas.

The federal government announced the construction of the 700-kilometre Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway project highway in March 2024.

The government envisioned the highway as a modern transportation artery and an ambition that symbolises hope, unity and prosperity.

According to the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, the highway’s development was estimated to cost up to ₦15.6 trillion over an eight-year construction period.

Its purpose is to connect the country’s six geopolitical regions through nine states (Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom) from the former capital city, Lagos, to Calabar, Cross River states.

Until May 10, Dr Akinleye explained that they  had no issues  about the Lagos- Calabar Expressway or about the Right -of -Way, noting that it was another section of the town with big estate that had the issue.

The original right-of-way, he said should be noted, was identified in 2006 by the Lagos State Government under the president when he was governor of Lagos State.

Waking the memory lane, he explained that in the process of buying their land, “We, individually, purchased and came into possession of our respective landed property at various times many years ago. We all have a common predecessor in title in the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family of Ajiran-Land in Lagos State. The title of our predecessor in title, before it was passed onto us, was confirmed by a Judgment of the High Court of Justice of Western Nigeria, delivered on the 12th day of December 1960 in Suit No. I/302/55 (Oba Onibeju&Ors. Vs SalumonuOyebola&Ors.), a judgment that was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the 25th day of January 1965 in Suit No. FSC/268/1963.

“After the emergence of the Lands Use Act, 1978, the said title was further affirmed by a Judgment of the High Court of Lagos State in Suit No. ID/1883/89 (Alhaji Fatai Ajetumobi & Ors vs. Attorney-General of Lagos State), which was delivered on 18th day of October 1991, and which declared that the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family was the holder of the customary right of occupancy over the said land. Eventually, the Lagos State Government, by an Official Gazette No. 15. Vol. 37, 2004, dated 7th day of April 2004, adopted the said judgement, and excised from compulsory global acquisition the entire Lafiaji Village, an excision of which our respective landed property forms a part, down the line. “

In the acquisition of the plots of land and development of our homes and property, the octogenarian said that the respective property owner obtained requisite consents of the Lagos State Government to their deeds of assignments.

“We had our respective survey plans hewed from the approved Ojomu Family Layout Plan, and obtained all the necessary building approvals and development permits from the relevant agencies of the Lagos State Government.

In the acquisitions of their plots of lands and in buildings of property,  he explained that they were well informed about the Right of Way, clearly marked, beaconed, and established for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. He said they ensured that they did not encroach on or trespass to the established Right of Way..

However, he alleged that were people who, overtime, have built on the said Right of Way and constructed huge estates crisscrossing same in the illusion that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would never be built, without any valid legal title to the land on which they built; or with government officials-assisted fabricated certificates of occupancy with embossed survey-plans ( the area coordinates of which truly are that of lands adjacent and proximate to the Right of Way, but which are passed off as that of lands situated within or covered by the Right of Way, for the purpose of obtaining certificates of occupancy).

“These persons also either did not obtain valid building approvals and development permits from the relevant agencies of the Lagos State Government or were assisted by corrupt officials of government to obtain doctored documents,” he said.

During the recent stakeholders’ engagement meetings held with the affected property owners within the corridor, Dr. Akinleye and Professor Sekoni said they were never contacted since their houses were not affected.

They were surprised by the sudden change in direction of the road‘s Right of Way by the minister after  President Tinubu had graciously intervened and publicly directed him to abandon the new alignment “being imposed on the people like us in the Atlantic Ocean Corridor and revert to the old and long-established Right of Way.”

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