No fewer than 1,000 homeowners, businesses, and community leaders in Igbo Efon and adjoining areas of Lagos have raised alarm following the fresh marking of their properties for demolition by the Federal Government over the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.

The affected residents said the markings followed a directive from the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, ordering occupants to vacate properties located within 150 metres of the high-water mark or face demolition.

Under the umbrella of the Coalition of Project Affected Persons (PAPs), the property owners accused authorities of violating their constitutional rights, insisting that the directive was being enforced under a misinterpretation of international law.

Residents Demand Immediate Suspension of Demolition

Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr. Tolu Ademiluyi, PAPs’ coordinator, called on the Federal Government to immediately suspend enforcement of the 150-metre setback, pending judicial review and broader public consultation.

Ademiluyi argued that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) does not authorise retroactive evictions or demolition of legally acquired properties.

“For over three decades, our members have built homes, schools, places of worship, and businesses on land acquired legally and approved by Lagos State planning authorities,” he said.

“Now, without compensation, due process, or site-specific scientific justification, we are being asked to vacate or face demolition. This is unlawful.”

Legal Adviser Cites Constitutional Violations

The group’s legal adviser, Mr. Sola Enitan, described the situation as a clear breach of Sections 43 and 44 of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as provisions of the Land Use Act.

According to him:

• No formal revocation notices were served on many affected residents
• No gazetted acquisition documents were publicly disclosed
• No transparent valuation of homes, businesses, or economic assets was conducted
• No compensation was paid before markings and demolitions commenced

“What we have witnessed instead is intimidation, forced evictions, and demolitions under armed supervision,” Enitan said.

Lagos Lawmaker Calls for Dialogue

The lawmaker representing the area in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Noheem Babatunde Adams, urged residents to pursue engagement and dialogue with relevant authorities.

He noted that the Coastal Road project predated some developments in the corridor and stressed the importance of due diligence before land acquisition.

However, residents countered that many of the properties had received valid government approvals at the time of development.

Call for Fair Compensation and Risk Assessment

The project-affected persons demanded:

A transparent compensation and resettlement framework

Independent, site-specific environmental and risk assessments

An end to what they described as “one-size-fits-all” coastal buffer enforcement

“We support environmental protection, but sustainability cannot come at the cost of citizens’ rights,” Ademiluyi said.

“We are ready to engage, but we will resist unlawful displacement legally.

As tensions rise along the Lagos coastline, pressure continues to mount on the Federal Government to balance infrastructure development, environmental protection, and constitutional property rights, amid growing public scrutiny of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.

The post Breaking: Property Owners Protest as FG Marks 1,000 Lagos Homes for Demolition Over Coastal Road appeared first on Housing TV Africa.

The President of the Nigerian Institute Of Town Planners, TPL. Dr Chime Ogbonna have urged both the federal government and the Lagos state government to come to an agreement on the issue of demolition of 170 estates along the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway

Dr Chime Ogbonna in his remarks during an exclusive interview with Housing Tv, urged both parties to look at the structures one by one and find a way to minimize wastage, adding that the country’s investment should not be put to waste so easily

“The truth is that any structure not approved by law anywhere in the country is an illegal structure and could be pulled down anytime but this is a very special one because we are talking about over 170 estates not 170 buildings

“If those estates were not approved by the Lagos state government in accordance to the prevailing law, the state has the right to remove them. This is a very huge number, so consideration should be given to the fact that whoever the estate owners are, they are Nigerians and we used Nigerian money to build those estates”

“I would advice the lagos state government to take a look at those estates one by one if there are some that could be managed by instructing the owners to provide one facility or the other, i think will minimize the waste”

Dr Chime Ogbonna further pleaded that both parties shouldn’t go into a tussle on the issue but rather seek amicable solutions

“I wouldn’t want the federal government and the Lagos state government to go into a tussle over this. If we go strictly by law, the federal government has to agree with the state on what should be removed and what should be allowed to stay in the course of constructing that important coastal road”, he stated.

The post NITP President Calls for Dialogue Over Demolition of 170 Estates on Lagos Coastal Road appeared first on Housing TV Africa.