Bennett Oghifo 

Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi has said that only about four hectares of Winhomes Estate land were affected by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway alignment and that the developer, Winhomes Global Services Limited, was compensated N19 million for the gatehouse that was demolished in the construction process. 

The minister, who stated this during an inspection of the highway on Monday, said the Lagos State Government, which has legal control of the land, has revoked and gazetted the area.

According to Umahi, when they inspected the site, there was “little more than a perimeter fence, a short stretch of drainage, and a few truckloads of sand.

“The only thing we destroyed was the gatehouse, for which the enumerator graciously gave her N19 million. That is a lot of money. So where is the $250 million?” (which the developer claimed was the worth of their property affected).

He said, “The matter has gone beyond the Ministry of Works. The Lagos State government has revoked it, they have gazetted it. The court has also ruled that we are right. So I don’t know what they are still talking about.

“We are not interested in the land. The issue of land is over. We are chasing the money. If they (diasporainvestors) were scammed, it’s going to discourage a lot of people from bringing money. So we want to follow the money and see where it is.” 

The minister’s position was corroborated by a civil society activist, Comrade Declan Hekare, who was at the site.

Hekare, who had earlier led a protest in in Lagos and Abuja in favour of the developer, said, “Coming here, I want to say clearly that what I’m seeing here is below my expectation. If properties were destroyed, I want to see pictorial evidence of how, when, and where, and documents to prove that you actually erected A, B, C. Therefore, as a member of the civil society, I am putting it to her today: if, by the end of two weeks, I don’t see more evidence, I will address a world press conference.”

On the state of the road so far, the minister said there was no damage to sections 1 and 2 of the project,  despite ongoing sandfilling and heavy rainfall, explaining that rainwater had even “aided soil consolidation, while only 2.5 kilometres of challenging storm water areas are still under construction.”

Umahi also said the use of concrete in road construction has reduced the importation of bitumen into the country.