For property owners impacted by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s Section 1, Phase 1 development, the Federal Government has raised the compensation sum.

From the original N8 billion to almost N18 billion, the government raised the compensation amount.
Sen. Dave Umahi, the Works Minister, made the revelation on Sunday in Lagos at a stakeholder engagement over the ongoing building of Phase 1, Sections 1 and 11 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Remember that the decision was taken to guarantee the impacted persons received just recompense.

“We are hitting N18 billion today, and this is just for section one,” Umahi stated, referring to the N8 billion that the Federal Executive Council had originally allocated for this route.

He said that the compensation amounts were reasonable and that, in order to maintain openness, they were decided by impartial specialists and will be made public along with property information.

Umahi stated that half of the compensation has already been given to the impacted individuals, demonstrating the government’s dedication to openness.

Within the next ten days, the minister promised to finish the compensation.

Nonetheless, a few players, notably solicitors and valuation specialists, voiced their displeasure with the procedure.

They contended that the procedure did not adhere to norms and that the compensation was insufficient.

Mr. Olusola Enitan, a lawyer and valuation specialist, contended that the compensation was insufficient.
“Someone who had a house is now renting with no ability to replace what was taken from him,” Enitan stated.

He referenced many rulings from the Supreme Court that upheld the right to just compensation.

He did, however, commend Umahi’s work in rebuilding and building roads.

In response to the worries, Umahi promised that the Federal Ministry of Works was abiding by the law and was willing to examine any submitted documentation in order to expedite payment.
Mr. Akin Alabi, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, praised the ministry for its openness and involvement of stakeholders in the compensation process.

He stressed how crucial it is to make compensation information public in order to combat false information and encourage responsibility.

Some individuals will have to remain quiet by the time we start publishing these things, he added, but there are still some troublemakers out there.

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Works has spent the last three days in Lagos, according to NAN, inspecting and evaluating road and bridge constructions.

Among other places, Umahi conducted the committee members on a tour of the Carter and Third Mainland bridges.