The Federal Government’s decision to demolish buildings within a 15-metre setback from the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to accommodate service lanes has sparked fresh anxiety and debate among property owners, professionals and investors over the design integrity, planning, and execution of one of Nigeria’s most ambitious road infrastructure projects.
The demolition, which will affect between 1700 and 2700 houses, is already a source of apprehension for residents and landlords on the extended corridor.
However, stakeholders welcome the update with mixed reactions. While transport planners acknowledge that properly designed service lanes would deliver substantial long-term benefits along the corridor, others suspect a faulty design that warrants service-lane redress, with attendant consequences for both the government and property owners.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, yesterday disclosed that structures within the newly identified setback would be removed to make way for service roads designed to improve accessibility and traffic safety along the corridor.
Umahi disclosed that some buildings would have to give way to accommodate service lanes and drainage channels, adding that affected property owners would be compensated in line with the law.
A conservative estimate from stakeholders indicated that there are at least 700 houses on the right-of-way and an additional 1,700 within the 15-metre setback.
An Estate Surveyor and Valuer, Olusola Enitan, noted that the casualties could extend to 2700 houses, with affected households ranging between approximately 3,400 and 10,800. At five persons per household, Enitan noted that this brings the number of affected residents to between 17,000 and 54,000.
While the Federal Government maintains that the additional lanes are necessary to support efficient traffic movement and provide access to adjoining communities and developments, the announcement has raised questions on whether the service lanes formed part of the original highway design or were introduced after construction had commenced.
