One of the victims of the realignment, Stella Okengwu, CEO, Winhomes Global Services, spoke with Daily Sun: claimed that she was singled out by the Ministry of Works as it unjustly and wrongfully diverted the road construction to pass through her Winhome Estate, thereby destroying her property, which she estimated to be worth N100 billion:
“The issue of ‘Japa’ syndrome was becoming too embarrassing and people in the Diaspora had trust issues and were afraid to invest in Nigeria. We took time to tour round the world to preach to people about the Renewed Hope agenda of Tinubu. We were happy that people believed us and agreed to invest in Nigeria.
“I started searching for a suitable place to buy land for the estate, where Nigerians in the Diaspora would build their homes and still build properties for rent. We were targeting to repatriate over $350 million to Nigeria through the programme.
“We were happy to get land in Okun Ajah, with necessary documents and governor’s consent. We got a cheaper land of N3 million, but when we were told about the future plan of the coastal road and 2006 alignment and gazetted portion, we opted for the genuine one as done when the President was the governor of the state. We would have bought the cheap one of N3 million, but we bought the one of N20 million to avoid future embarrassment for investors.”
The investor’s anger stemmed from last week’s diversion of the road from the original route by the Federal Ministry of Works: “Those claimed to be from the Federal Government that instructed them to re-route the Okun Ajah section of the road to my estate lied. President Tinubu is not aware.
“They are doing the demolition against the people who did not want to violate the law and decided that we would become law-abiding. The planned re-routing of the coastal road in Okun Ajah to my estate is not only a miscarriage of justice to we who adhered to and observed the road alignment but also a bad omen for other road alignments in the country.”
She explained that those affected by the arbitrary diversion of the road were those who acquired the necessary documents, such as certificate of occupancy, governor’s consent and other credentials from the Lagos State government.
She also said she notified Minister of Works, David Umahi, about the matter and he assured her that their properties would remain unaffected as they were developed outside the gazetted areas designated for the project:
“Everybody in the town knows that there is a coastal road alignment, but some people went ahead to build on some parts of the alignment thinking that government would not come and construct the road in the future.
“My regrets are that Tinubu made us believe that we would be protected. When he brought out his agenda on renewed hope, we found out that his main aim was to bring in Nigerians that were in the Diaspora because of the Japa syndrome. My partners are Femi Adekoya and Oluwole Wale. I am a United States citizen too. We have proven beyond reasonable doubt that Nigeria is okay. And when we purchased this land in Okun Ajah, which we named Winhome Estate.
“We did not just purchase a land to sell land and go away, 70 per cent of people in the property are diasporans from America, Canada, Europe, and UK. We travelled to all these countries, with our dual citizen passport, to make sure that people we preached to people the essence of coming back home and to also tell them that this dispensation had something good for them.
“Apart from that, when we purchased this land, we made sure that physical planning on right of way cleared. And when we commenced our development, we started travelling around the world, you know, all these places. It was a very serious task to convince people that they should come and invest.
“To our amazement, we got information that the coastal road was diverted to our area. We in the Diaspora believe that this dispensation has a listening ear. We trusted the government as other big companies like Etisalat, Adax Petroleum, Seplat Petroleum, Shell Cooperative. All these cooperatives have property there. And their intention when they saw what we planned to build a good estate that their families would stay or even those in the diaspora would live there.
“We also have another Diaspora investment scheme such that, when we bring you back, we make you to build another house, houses that you will rent out, you know, so that there will be a capital for you to lean on when you come home. We intended repatriating dollars to Nigeria.
“Our calculation was that, at the end of everything, we would have brought at least $350 million back to this country in just Wihome Estate alone. When we got the information about the coastal road, I personally contacted the minister and I told him about what I was hearing.
“I sent him documents, my documents and told him that the coastal road was not supposed to pass where my estate was located. Again, everyone knows that the coastal road in all other countries does not go through a residential area. That coastal road goes through an alignment, an alignment that the President did in 2006 when he was the governor of Lagos State.
“In 2013, they did another alignment the same place; they checked the environmental impact assessment and found out that the place was still okay for the 2006 designated alignment. I told Umahi everything because I was trying to explain to him.
“We have been observing what is happening. Ocean Bay Estate is on the ocean, which is on the gazetted alignment. And my impression of the minister is that, as a minister, he should have zero tolerance for bribery or corruption.
“When they changed it, some news started coming out, because the people that are affected, nobody is keeping quiet. People are doing their investigation. News started coming out that his ministry collected bribe and started favouring some people. And I told him about it but he waved it aside as rumours. I just said okay, only for me to wake up one morning and I started seeing it in the newspaper.
“I called his attention and told him, sir, is it not better you investigate this? I sent him some of these newspapers for him to see. I told him, you need to investigate because there are some things I heard about your federal controller of works that I want to meet her face to face if you can allow us; everything is on my list, us let me ask her some questions, because I wouldn’t want in a situation whereby she will use your authority to commit crime.
“After I sent him the newspapers, he said it was very good, so I thought maybe he wanted to investigate it. The next day, my attention was called to the site that the workers came to the site with armed policemen from Lagos State Task Force, and the military, and they beat up some of my staff because they put up some resistance.
“Nobody expected it. So they started beating my staff, tore my human resources manager’s clothes and scattered their belongings. That was last week Thursday. I have the video. And that was when they called me.
“When I came to the site, I met everywhere in a shambles. I asked them why came to my site. They told me they got instructions from the ministry to leave where they were working and mobilize immediately for demolition and work on my site.
“I told them you cannot just come and infringe on my rights. I was singled out for all these isolated attacks because I spoke out on the bribery and corruption. Now these people, the project, project manager, called their MD, and they told them not to demolish anything on my site. So the next thing, they sent one of their staff saying they wanted to start work, because they were coming with the order of the President and the Minister of Works to start on my site.
“I told him, you people should not be quoting that you are coming according on the order of the President. So does it mean that I’m being targeted by the President? Does it mean that the President is grabbing land?
“I said, but you people are not touching my structures because nobody gave me any notice. Nobody called me for any meeting. I know the procedure more than you people; nobody called me for any documentation, it means that it is an isolated attack. He said they would start filling the place with sand. I went out, but when I came back in the evening, I found out that they went and hired task force.
“I saw some task force people. I saw police, military. All of them came and brought my structures down, Winhome Estate structure. Right now, they are working there. The trauma, the depression they’ve caused since they did that is too much.
“And the people in the Diaspora, everybody’s panicking, because we gave them the assurance that all the documents over which they also did their due diligence were intact before this chaos happened. Our investment is worth over N100 billion. We are talking about hectares of land.
“I don’t need any compensation. President Tinubu should prevail on the Ministry of Works to do the needful, do the right thing and protect the rightful owners of their land. Stop defending illegality and punish those who breached the 2006 alignment as gazetted by the government when you were the governor of Lagos State.”