A total of N18bn has been allocated to compensate affected property owners on section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced on Sunday.
Umahi also stated that everyone on the compensation list of section 1 of the coastal road must have been paid in 10 days.
He spoke during the stakeholder’s engagement involving section 1 and section 2 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road. While addressing the issue of compensation, Umahi said his hands were tied under the law for satisfactory compensation of all those affected.
He said, “I wouldn’t have been able to respond if you had asked me this question earlier. But let me say clearly and emphatically that I’m quite frustrated with this situation. However, my hands are tied by the law. I understand that I’ve already lost some properties to arrangements like this.
“It’s incredibly challenging to pay for this, but when facing legal obligations, one is bound to comply. We have engaged professionals to handle this process and the Federal Executive Council approved an initial compensation budget of N8bn for this section, based on the recommendation by the Bureau of Public Procurement. But today, we are reaching N18bn, that’s where we are now.”
