Eleko Residents Protest Planned 150m Setback on Lagos-Calabar Highway

Eleko Residents Protest Planned 150m Setback on Lagos-Calabar Highway
‎Community Leaders Says Compensation Inadequate
‎Residents Seek Dialogue

‎Residents of Eleko communities in Ibeju-Lekki Local Council have appealed to the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government to suspend what they described as fresh plans to enforce a 150-metre setback along parts of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, warning that the move could displace long-established ancestral settlements, Eko Hot Blog reports

Contents

EDITOR’S PICK
FURTHER READING

‎Speaking on behalf of the community at the weekend, the Chief of Odofin of Opo Ijebu Kingdom, Kunle Balogun, said although residents support the coastal road project as a transformative legacy initiative, recent red markings allegedly placed on houses have raised fears of impending demolitions.

EDITOR’S PICK

The markings were reportedly made by individuals said to be linked to the Office of the Surveyor-General and private investors.

‎Balogun explained that the affected settlements predate the highway project by decades and were developed through communal efforts and successive administrations.

He noted that before formal government intervention, residents contributed labour and materials to construct access roads connecting remote villages to neighbouring areas.

‎While commending Bola Ahmed Tinubu for initiating the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, Balogun alleged that repeated realignments of the project corridor have already resulted in the demolition of homes, shrines, and ancestral heritage sites in parts of the axis.

‎He further claimed that during earlier road expansions linked to industrial growth in the Lekki corridor, affected families received compensation ranging from N9 million to N20 million.

However, he argued that such amounts are insufficient to purchase land or rebuild homes in present-day Ibeju-Lekki, where property values have significantly increased.

Eleko Residents Protest Planned 150m Setback on Lagos-Calabar Highway — Lagos – Calabar coastal highway

‎Balogun disclosed that a Community Liaison Officer for Section 1 of the project confirmed the inauguration of a Grievance Redress Committee in November to address complaints from host communities.

However, he noted that the committee has not reconvened since its inauguration, and attempts to obtain clarification on the alleged 150-metre setback have not produced clear responses from relevant authorities.

‎He urged the Federal Ministry of Works and the Lagos State Government to provide clarity on the project’s alignment and setback provisions. He also called for dialogue and a possible waiver for existing communities, insisting that infrastructure development should not come at the expense of ancestral homes and long-standing settlements.

‎When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of Works, Uchenna Orji, said he was on leave and declined to comment.