A part of landmark beach on Victoria Island, Lagos was demolished to give way to the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, Nigeria’s biggest public infrastructure project to date.
This, despite the public outcry in some sections about the potential jobs and means of livelihood that will be lost.
Images from the demolition showed that structures erected along the coastline including cabanas, football turf, and many others were pulled down.
A post on x from landmark Africa, the parent company of the beach, in reaction to the exercise, read “what we built in six years was destroyed in six hours.”
The post read, in part, “What a journey! What we built in 6 years was destroyed in 6 hours.
We are overwhelmed at the show of support we have received from Landmark Citizens and all our partners. Thank you for standing with us and believing in our mission and cause so far.
This is not the end!”
Meanwhile, the minister of works, Dave Umahi, while defending the demolition noted that the move was necessary considering the landmark centre was located on the federal government’s right-of-way.
He had said that only 50 metres of the shoreline and a few shanties would be removed while “permanent structures” will be left intact.
“Landmark has no claim whatsoever. We spared all his infrastructures. We don’t pay for shanties and even though shanties are on our Right of Ways to 50 meters from the shoreline.
“So, he has no claim. We made all the efforts to spare all his infrastructures. That’s why I said he’s a politician, and I am an engineer. So why he plays his politics. I do the engineering work,”
He said the original plan will not only save businesses that will be destroyed as a result of the revised plan, but also save money and manpower for the government.
