LASG set to demolish parts of Landmark for Lagos-Calabar highway project

In a bid to give way for the proposed Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, the Lagos State Government is preparing to demolish some sections of properties belonging to the Landmark Group.

In a letter dated March 19, 2024, and addressed to the hospitality and tourism service company, the state government stated the sections of the company billed for demolition.

The sections marked for demolition include Beach Resort, Kids and Bay Arena, Members Area, and Lagos Beach Club.

Other businesses and properties to be destroyed to give way for the construction of the 700 km highway include Truth Night Club, ATV, Basketball Court, Beach Resort, Mini Golf Court, Island Breeze and Laquatic Water Park.

The letter read in part, “Following the publications of Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March, 2024, in the two national newspapers, The Nation and The PUNCH respectively, for the construction of 103km stretch of the 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway by the Federal Ministry of Works, in collaboration with Lagos State Government, I am to inform you that your property falls within the Right of Way Alignment of the project by 50 meters.

“Consequently, the affected portion shall be removed in overriding public interest, to pave way for the road construction project from seven (7) days of serving this notice.

Landmark Group appeals to FG

However, the Landmark Group has appealed to the Federal Government to reroute the project to its original path to preserve hospitality and tourism businesses along the coastal right of way.

In a document seen by Pulse Nigeria, the company said it acquired Beachfront Realty along the Water Corporation Road in 2007.

According to the document, the original plan for the construction of the coastal highway was to go through the Water Corporation Road, which to date remains underdeveloped.

To avoid the proposed demolition of its properties by the Lagos State Government, the Landmark Group urged the Federal Government to reroute about 1.5km of the road to its original location.

“The Landmark Group is now seeking the government’s intervention in facilitating the rerouting of just about 1.5km out of the 700km stretch of the Road to its original location on the Water Corporation Road median”, the document read.

The company also shared a Google Earth photo showing the proposed and original path of the road.

The Google Earth image shows the green line that indicates the original path of the proposed Lagos-Calabar highway, while the yellow line shows the proposed path affecting the Landmark Group businesses. [Landmark] Pulse Nigeria

The hospitality company added that the destruction of the Landmark ecosystem which houses over 80 businesses “would undoubtedly create a huge void which would be difficult to fill.”

The company further maintained that the proposed Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road stands out as a commendable project, but its construction leading to the demise of a major player in the hospitality and tourism industry, would cause mass unemployment, lost taxpayer revenue and other socio-economic fallouts.