The villages in a Save our Soul letter titled "Coastal Road Realignment To Wipe Out Iwerekun, Solu Orumija, Awofin And Odusina Ancestral Villages," dated April 20, and signed by 31 representatives of the villages lamented that if the planned demolition of their villages were allowed, they had no other place to go.
Residents of Iwerekun, Solu Orumija, Awofin and Odusina have written to the member representing Ibeju - Lekki Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Adebayo Balogun over what they described as plans to whip out their villages by the "whimsical realignment of the proposed coastal road site".
The villages in a Save our Soul letter titled "Coastal Road Realignment To Wipe Out Iwerekun, Solu Orumija, Awofin And Odusina Ancestral Villages," dated April 20, and signed by 31 representatives of the villages lamented that if the planned demolition of their villages were allowed, they had no other place to go.
"We cry out today as people under an emergency situation. We the inhabitants of the following coastal villages; Iwerekun, Awofin, Odusina and Solu Orumija are currently facing extinction of our approved village excisions by the whimsical realignment of the proposed coastal road site.
"We are overjoyed that, at last, we are witnessing the commencement of the Coastal Road construction which was long anticipated. However, we are saddened by the sudden realignment of the Right of Way (Row) upon commencement of the road construction.
"We have maintained the old site lying in the swamp behind our villages untouched for over two decades since it was marked, but we are shocked at the sudden change of the road path which is now directly on the village."
The further noted that while they do not have a problem if the road would "expand either ways to claim some added portion to the old site as known in order to accommodate rail track or other transportation facilities, it is however not the case as a new 100meters site is suddenly marked out in the villages differently from the old site as known.
"Please note that after observing the required setback from the shoreline, the village is only about 150 meters left in entire width. Within the 150meters, there is another setback from both the community road at the front and the setback for the Coastal Road behind, which makes the useful land in the village to be about only 100meters. Therefore, the 100meters Row marked out in the village will consequently wipe out these four villages.
"Asides the new 100meters marking into the village, there is also about 72meters gap skipped before marking out the new site, which makes the entire land claimed from the village running into about 270meters if you combine the old and new landmass marked in respect of coastal road."
The residents, however, questioned, "What purpose will the old site now serve as it is no longer the site to be used for the Coastal Road; are villagers now allowed to move back into the old site since the Government is taking a new one for the Coastal Road? The Government has been silent on this particular question and it makes the sudden realignment move entirely suspicious.
"Why was there no consultation with the people ahead of the new road design to allow for their inputs to accommodate the new redesign without wiping out our villages?"
They however, called on the Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Bola Tinubu, the Minister for Works, Dave Umahi as well as all well-meaning Nigerians to rise to our plight as we are facing an emergency situation. "Simply yield to our cry and take the simplest solution of reverting back to the old design of land still preserved in the swamp undisturbed."
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