Some communities in the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State have raised concerns over an alleged fresh plan by the Federal Government to enforce a 150-metre setback on both sides of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, warning that the move could wipe out long-established ancestral settlements.

When PUNCH Metro visited the area on Thursday, community leaders said residents were living in fear and panic, adding that further demolitions could spark unrest among people who had already sacrificed homes and heritage sites for the project.

While commending President Bola Tinubu for initiating what they described as a transformative and legacy project, the leaders alleged that repeated realignments of the corridor had led to the demolition of houses, shrines and other ancestral landmarks across parts of the axis.

They called on the Federal Ministry of Works and the Lagos State Government to clearly communicate the project’s alignment and setback provisions, urging authorities to engage affected communities and consider granting a waiver to existing settlements.

Speaking on behalf of the communities, Chief Adebayo Agbabiaka said previous demolition exercises had displaced entire villages, including storey buildings constructed long before any road infrastructure reached the area.

He noted that in earlier years, residents transported building materials by boat through Epe and carried them into their villages, underscoring the effort invested in developing the communities.

He criticised the compensation process during earlier projects, describing the amounts paid as grossly inadequate.

According to him, some families received about N9m to N10m, an amount he said could not secure land in Ibeju-Lekki, let alone cater for the relocation of entire households.

He added that while compensation was paid for crops during the coastal road construction, many homeowners had yet to receive payment for demolished buildings.

He said, “After all these sufferings and perseverance, some people entered our communities again and began marking houses for fresh demolition. They said they were from the Surveyor-General’s office.

“They marked 150 metres to the right and 150 metres to the left, despite the extent of destruction already suffered by the community.

“By extending the so-called 150 metres, all the communities will be heavily affected. These are our ancestral homes. If they are taken from us, where will we go?

“We are not begging the government to relocate us. We are not even asking for compensation because, even if they compensate us, where are we expected to go?

“We have been cooperative, and the road is already wide enough. These roads existed before the coastal road project met them. We are not fighting anyone; we are only appealing to the government to grant us a waiver and allow us to remain where we are.”

The Chief Odofin of Opo-Ijebu Kingdom, Kunle Balogun, also expressed concern over the fresh plan to claim another setback.

“Initially, the coastal road was meant to follow the shoreline from time immemorial. We praised the President’s efforts because this is a legacy project.

“The negative aspect is that after realignment and the destruction of shrines and ancestral homes of our forefathers, they are now saying they want to realign again.

“If they take 150 metres on the left and 150 metres on the right, what will be left of our communities? We want the Federal Government to take a second look at our plight. We are law-abiding people,” he said.

Another community member, Sharahu Ogunyemi, warned that the proposed setback would effectively erase the settlements, describing the land as communal property and urging the government to grant a waiver to affected residents.

“The 150 metres they want to take again will erase the community. It is our communal land. We appeal to the government to grant us a waiver; we will be very grateful,” he said.

A source in the Federal Ministry of Works, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak for the ministry, told our correspondent that the markings were carried out by the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation.

“They said they are not demolishing the marked buildings,” the source explained, adding that the exercise was meant “to let the communities be aware that the marked buildings, 150 metres to the right and 150 metres to the left, are sitting on Federal Government land.”

Meanwhile, the Zonal Director of Survey Coordination, OSGOF in Lagos, Sunday Adefarati, declined to comment when contacted by PUNCH Metro on the telephone.

“This is a weekend. You cannot ask official things on weekends. Let it be tomorrow,” Adefarati said on Sunday.

The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway is a flagship Federal Government infrastructure project aimed at constructing a roughly 700-kilometre road linking Lagos in the South-West to Calabar in the South-South.

The highway is expected to traverse several coastal states, including Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom, before terminating in Cross River State.

However, investors and homeowners along the corridor have decried what they describe as the destruction of their properties by the government.

Last month, some aggrieved homeowners, under the aegis of the Project Affected Persons, also raised concerns after they were allegedly directed to vacate properties located within a strict 150-metre setback from the high-water mark or risk demolition without adequate compensation or prior notice. (The PUNCH)