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By Christopher Oji
Indigenes and residents of Okun Ajah in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State have again condemned the planned diversion of the coastal road from the initial alignment and gazetted portion.
They, therefore, called on President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to ensure the road is in concordance with the 2006 gazetted alignment.
The anger from the indigenes and residents stemmed from last week’s announcement by Umahi that the Federal Government would reroute the Okun Ajah section of the road.
The residents noted that rerouting it in Okun Ajah was not only a miscarriage of justice to those who adhered to and observed the road alignment but also a bad omen to other roads alignments in the country.
The residents explained that those affected by the new diversion were those who acquired the necessary documents such as certificate of occupancy, governor’s consent and other necessary documents from the Lagos State government.
The affected individuals said they were taken aback when, despite assurances at the last stakeholders’ meeting at Eko Hotel, Lagos, their properties were impacted by the highway construction. The minister had assured them that their properties would remain unaffected as they were developed outside the gazetted areas designated for the project.
An indigene of the town, Yussuf Olatunji Odunuga, said: “Since we got the excision for this village in 2006 under the then governor, Bola Tinubu, now president of Nigeria, there was an alignment for coastal road and it was gazetted.
“Everybody in the town knows there is a coastal road alignment, but some people went ahead to build on some parts of the alignment thinking that the government would not come and construct the road in future.
“Now that it is the time for the construction of the road, the minister is trying to divert the road from the houses of those who built on the alignment at the expense of those who adhered to the alignment. It is really unjust and confusing. Those affected now have the valid documents from the government while those who built on the coastal road do not.”
Kazeem Shittu, member of the Baale-in-Council of Okun Ajah, also called on the minister to revert to the alignment to douse tension in the town.
He appreciated the president and the minister for their efforts on the coastal road but enjoined them to maintain the 2006 alignment.
“Reverting to the coastal road alignment of 2006 will engender peace and unity in the community. The minister of work should go back to the gazetted alignment of the coastal road in our community,” he said.
Akogun of Okun Ajah, Saeed Olukosi, also appealed to the works minister to return to the gazetted alignment, noting that rerouting the road was tantamount to punishing those who observed and followed the law to favour law breakers.
“We were there when President Tinubu came to flag off the road and we were all happy with the way it was. We are surprised now that the minister is changing the route in Okun Ajah. Before now, we have had a stakeholders’ meeting at Eko Hotel, where it was agreed the road will follow the gazetted alignment but we are shocked because what the minister is saying is not clear to us. There have already been compensation plans for those who are affected by the road alignment. The minister should adhere to the alignment and not create new victims,” he said.
A property owner, Ajigbotosho Oluwasegun, said: “I have been living here for many years and did the necessary confirmation about the coastal road before building my house. I want to appeal to the minister to follow due process and let the road align with the gazetted portion in Okun Ajah. Those who built on the coastal road cannot be pampered at the expense of those of us who are law-abiding,” he said.
