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By Maduka Nweke
Residents of coastal communities are currently living in perpetual fear amid endless tears. Why? They have learned that over 1,000 houses nestled along the coastal shoreline have been marked for demolition to pave way for the successful construction of the Lagos-Calabar highway that tears through several Lagos communities and states.
But those affected by the looming bulldozers are not just flaunting moral outrage, they have petitioned the federal government through a body, Coalition of Project Affected Persons (PAPs), led by Mr. Tolu Ademiluyi.
In a Save our Soul message, they begged the government to review the instruction on properties marked for demolition to enforce the 150-metre setback pending judicial review and public consultation. The coalition (property owners) urged the government to acknowledge that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) does not authorise retroactive evictions.
In a statement entitled; “Our Homes, Our Rights: Rejecting Retroactive Eviction Under the Guise of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the affected persons explained that for more than 30 years, they have lived their lives, done their businesses, schools, and places of worship on the land acquired legally, developed with permits from the Lagos State Planning Authorities, and occupied without objection.
They argued, “Now, without due process, without compensation, and without scientific justification tailored to our specific locations, we are being told to vacate within a rigid 150-meter line from the high-water mark or face demolition. We categorically state: this is a dangerous misrepresentation of UNCLOS, and a betrayal of Nigerian law. UNCLOS does not mandate a 150-meter setback, let alone retroactive demolition. UNCLOS, which Nigeria ratified in 1982, is a treaty governing maritime boundaries, navigation, resource rights, and marine environmental protection. Nowhere in its 320 Articles is there any provision that prescribes a 150-meter coastal setback; requires the demolition of existing structures; authorises the retroactive eviction of lawful occupants; overrides national constitutional protections for property rights,” Ademiluyi said.
The Federal Ministry of Works has consistently maintained that only properties with valid planning approvals will be eligible for compensation. Earlier in the project’s lifecycle, the ministry demonstrated some flexibility by rerouting sections of the road such as in the Okun-Ajah community to safeguard submarine cables and cultural heritage sites. However, for the current 1,000 properties marked in the Igbo Efon corridor, the government has yet to announce a formal compensation plan or a decision on potential realignment.
Tensions have therefore escalated along the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway corridor as no fewer than 1,000 homeowners and business operators in the Igbo Efon community and surrounding areas staged a protest against fresh demolition markings.
Daily Sun learned that the Federal Government, acting through the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, has reportedly marked these structures for removal to enforce a 150-metre setback from the high-water mark. This development has triggered widespread concern among investors and residents who claim their properties were developed legally with state-approved titles.
While review the situation, the Legal Adviser to the Coalition, Chief Sola Enitan, called the Federal Government to halt all ongoing demolitions and acquisitions connected to the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway that do not comply with constitutional and statutory requirements; full disclosure of all acquisition instruments, gazette notices, and valuation reports.
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In his presentation, he said, “No formal written notices have been served on many residents whose properties are being marked or demolished. No publication in the Official Gazette has been shown to the public, as required for valid revocation. No comprehensive valuation of affected properties, homes, businesses, economic trees, and improvements, has been carried out in a transparent, professional manner.
No meaningful opportunity has been given to affected persons to lodge claims, contest valuations, or be heard. No prompt payment of compensation has preceded demolitions and evictions. Instead, what we have seen are coercion, forced evictions, demolitions under armed supervision, and a climate of fear among law‑abiding citizens,” he added. “This is not lawful acquisition. It is trespass, expropriation, and a violation of Sections 43 and 44 of the Constitution, as well as the Land Use Act and the long line of judicial authorities I have cited,” he said.
Member, Lagos House of Assembly, representing the area, Noheem Babatunde Adams, urged the residents to come together and discuss the matter with the authority concerned in order to chart the way forward. “What we need right now is engagement. He explained that plans for the Coastal Road had been in existence before some estates came to the corridor. This has made it compulsory for anyone before they buy land to visit the surveyor-general’s office for investigation before buying the land,” he said.
Speaking further, he said, the project is a federal project. I represent you at the state level but I am not a federal representative, nonetheless, I’m still your representative. I should always be there for you anytime, any day, and any moment. He appealed to the Legal Adviser that he wouldn’t want the people to go through all the legal issues that he stated. “My own is to come up with the law and the political solution. I believe in God, and I believe in Almighty Allah. By the grace of God, they will not demolish any houses, but not a promise. The difference between a promise and a pledge, you can promise if it’s within your capacity, if it’s you that will have the final say, but you can only pledge and say, I will do all within my power to be sure that your properties are not demolished.
“So, when they called me for this meeting yesterday, I already made some consultations on this matter, and I’ve seen it to some extent that I’m not sure that it will lead to the demolition. That yesterday, I wouldn’t take us through 150 meter right of away, 150 Left, Right of Way and all that. I wouldn’t want to dwell into details on that. What I can say is that, this coastal road today is benefiting almost all of us within this area. But I’m not happy with the people that their houses are affected on one side, but the other side we are benefiting from it. The only road that we have on this is just this, no access road, no internal road and all that.
In fact, I can say, if not, because of margin of these houses, if your property was N10,000, N100,000 in the last two years, I can tell you the property worth about N40,000 right now. In fact, if you tell somebody you are living through Island, you are in Victoria land, because to drive from Victoria Island to here is just two minutes of a maximum, maybe five minutes. So I wouldn’t want to say much. What I would just suggest to us is that we just try and believe in ourselves. First of all, believe in God and believe in ourselves. Let us constitute a just small committee that we can always liaise with, like when I consult them yesterday, there are some processes that they suggested that will go through.
“I don’t mind following it up if it will be in Lagos, but it will be in Abuja. I am available anytime for this matter. To progress on this matter, they made some explanations to me which we are going to start the process. But it’s not a process where it’s everybody that I can be explaining all the processes to. It’s not that they say you should come and bring money or come and do this. No, please quote me. Oh, nobody said anybody should bring money. I will make sure I work together with that committee that we are going to form. But they are explaining to me that you submit this, they will chart it. They will do this, they will do that. But in a nutshell, I believe with their word, with what I had yesterday, I don’t think it will lead to demolition by the Grace of God like I said.
Once again, it’s not a promise, but it’s a pledge. I must say, because a promise is where you are sure it is in your table. This one wants to lobby and to work on it. You understand? So, I think that is what I can say. But if there is any assignment that you want to give to me as your representative, I am here. Give me the assignment, and I’ll work on the assignment, and that is why I’m here,” he assured.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Sun, Chief Anthony Nnalue, one of the affected landlords noted that the affected structures include residential homes, private schools, and commercial enterprises, many of which have existed for over 30 years. He highlighted that their developments were undertaken with valid planning permits from the Lagos State Government and Global Certificates of Occupancy (C of O). The sudden shift in alignment or enforcement of wider setbacks is viewed by the community as a violation of constitutional property rights. This is not the first instance of friction regarding the N15 trillion projects. While the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has previously stated that the government seeks to follow the original gazetted Right of Way (RoW) to minimize destruction, residents in the Igbo Efon axis claim the current markings represent an “abrupt diversion.” The lack of location-specific scientific justification for the 150-metre requirement remains a primary point of contention for stakeholders.
“The standoff between the Federal Government and Lagos property owners underscores the complex balance between national infrastructure goals and private property rights.
As the Coalition of Project Affected Persons calls for a judicial review and a suspension of enforcement, the outcome will serve as a critical precedent for future infrastructure projects in Nigeria. For investors, the situation highlights the ongoing risks associated with coastal developments and the necessity of harmonised federal and state land policies,” he stated.
