Lagos State Government plans to demolish a piece of the Landmark Seashore Resort to make approach for the development of the coastal freeway as a part of the Lagos-Calabar highway challenge.

This was contained in a letter addressed to the proprietor of Landmark Seashore Resort, Paul Onwuanibe, dated March 19, 2024, and signed by Tpl Shomolu O., Deputy Director of the Growth Issues Division on behalf of the Ministry of Bodily Planning and City Growth’s Everlasting Secretary.

Within the letter, Lagos state authorities knowledgeable Onwuanibe that he has seven days to vacate his multimillion-dollar seashore resort for demolition.

Onwuanibe, 58, defined that the federal government stated his Landmark Seashore resort needed to be eliminated because it “falls inside the correct of approach” of a deliberate 700-kilometer (435-mile) coastal freeway designed to hyperlink the previous capital metropolis to Calabar, a port metropolis close to the border with Cameroon.

He instructed CNN he acquired the land in 2007 earlier than plans for the coastal freeway had been drafted, expressed a spread of feelings upon receiving the demolition discover, which additionally instructed him to file compensation claims.

“One was amazement, second was concern and the third one was, ‘is that this actual or is that this an April Fools’ (Day prank in) advance?’” Onwuanibe stated.

The proposed demolition consists of sections of the property such because the Seashore Resort, Children and Bay Enviornment, Members Space, and Lagos Seashore Membership, as they encroach throughout the Proper of Means of the deliberate highway challenge by 50 meters.

The Landmark Seashore Resort, valued at over $200 million, hosts over 80 companies, offers greater than 4,000 direct jobs, and generates over 2 billion naira ($1.5 million) in annual tax income.

Onwuanibe stated that international and native traders in Landmark Group are contemplating withdrawing their help if the seashore resort is demolished.

“With out the seashore, all the ecosystem is in danger and is severely broken,” he stated, including: “I’ve had widespread panic calls from my worldwide and native traders in addition to native debt suppliers threatening to drag the plug as they suppose that is materials to our survival as a enterprise.”

The Lagos state authorities had beforehand printed notices of the demolition in two nationwide newspapers.

The federal authorities authorised the brand new coastal highway on February 27, with the primary part to be constructed on Victoria Island and ultimately spanning 9 coastal states in Nigeria.

KanyiDaily recollects that Lagos State Government had vowed that more structures will go down amid controversies surrounding the demolition of buildings within the state.