By ABAH SUNDAY, Abuja
Minister of Works Sen. David Nweze Umahi on Thursday inaugurated a 19-man Committee on Recompensation for the Properties on the alignment of the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway whose construction has commenced.
The inauguration was performed virtually in the Minister’s conference hall at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja with the affected property owners and other stakeholders, was in furtherance of the resolutions earlier reached in the stakeholders engagement meeting held by the Honourable Minister of Works in Lagos on 11th April 2024 whereof opinions were ventilated from different groups of stakeholders and decisions were reached on the need for a review of the report on the enumeration by the Consultant on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the affected areas.
During the inauguration, the Minister noted the terms of reference for the committee to include review of the report on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and interfacing with stakeholders and property owners that will be affected by the project with a view to recommending those who are entitled to receive compensation from federal government as required by law
in respect of section 1 of the 700km project.
He charged them to verify and authenticate the list of those to be compensated and submit a report within 10 days effective 18th April 2024.
He said, “We are setting up a review committee to look at the work done by the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) team, and the works to be done is very simple, just to interact with the property owners that are going to be affected, and in the presence of the committee and the ESIA Consultant and the contractor, look at the compensation as enumerated to be paid, and where possible, you visit the site.
“We are using the federal rates to do our enumeration. I know very well that there is nobody that is ever enumerated that is ever satisfied with how much is to be paid, but we are bound by the law, and so we are using federal rates.”
The Minister promised to ensure a prompt payment of the compensations but warned that only those legally entitled to compensation would be shortlisted.
“This verification will start Wednesday in Lagos, and of course, we have to make it very clear, that 250 metres legally belong to the federal government. So if you have a title within these 250 metres and it’s not a title from federal government, then only Mr President can give a waiver if he feels so for the person to be paid,” he said.
The committee members, according to the governor were constituted to reflect the different groups of stakeholders, including the Lagos State Government, local government areas, traditional rulers, estate developers, and residents, as well as professional bodies.
The committee has Engr (Mrs) Olukorede Kesha (FCW, Lagos State) as Chairman.