Group seeks compensatory justice for victims of Lagos-Calabar highway project

.Keep to original plan, Rhodes-Vivour tells govt

An advocacy group, the Coalition for Land Rights Advocacy in Nigeria (CLARAN), has called for compensatory justice for victims of the Lagos-Calabar Superhighway project and amplified the voices of affected individuals in matters of land rights.

Chairman of the Trustees of CLARAN, Olusola Enitan, while reflecting on how individuals are affected by the government’s forceful and inconsiderate acquisition of property, urged the government to balance the need for development with the protection of property rights and the welfare of affected communities.

Enitan said this, yesterday, during a public interest meeting organised by CLARAN in Lagos, which provides a platform for dialogue, information dissemination, and collaborative efforts towards ensuring that the rights and interests of affected persons are duly protected and respected.

Enitan, who explained the legal framework and processes in acquiring property, said: “It’s not fair for an individual to carry the burden of the whole Nigeria on his shoulders. The Federal Government can have up to 20 consultants and the victim doesn’t even have one. Judicial reviews are necessary to provide opportunities for aggrieved parties to seek redress for violations of their rights.

The estate surveyor and valuer stressed the need for citizens to know their rights, saying: “Social trust is also failing because affected individuals feel that government is not working in their best interest. In a country where abuse of power is a common phenomenon, access to legal aid and robust training programmes for law personnel and stakeholders is paramount.”

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has appealed to the Federal Government to stick to the original plan of 1.5 kilometres of 700 kilometres of Lagos-Calabar Coastal road project.

Rhodes-Vivour, who spoke with journalists, yesterday, said that maintaining the original plan would preserve businesses, ecosystems and land that belonged to the people.

He noted the Beach was set up in 2007 and had generated so much revenue besides about 4,000 direct and 20,000 indirect jobs and a place where families enjoy leisurely activities.

Rhodes-Vivour, therefore, wondered why so many jobs have to be sacrificed in an economy going through lots of challenges.