ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Coalition for Land Rights Advocacy in Nigeria is preparing to sue the Federal Government over what it claims are inadequate compensation payments.
In an exclusive interview, the Coalition’s head, Sola Enitan, stated that if the Minister of Works, David Umahi, does not meet the group’s demands, they will proceed with legal action.
He said, “If the Minister of Works does not yield to our demands, it goes without saying that we would be going to court. The coalition would be going to court on behalf of the Project-affected persons as they have already briefed us to represent their interests.
“It should be noted that the reason why we have not gone to court is because we want to exhaust the three summonses and then we would see what the house of assembly would do, upon the third summon if the minister does not respond, a resolution would be done showing what the parliament wants to do.
“After the resolution phase is exhausted and the minister does not still comply, we would head to court. Unless the President compels the minister and he does the right thing, there would be no need to go to court, but if he does not do the right thing, then there would need to go to court.”
He stated that the road project, promoted as serving the public interest, has forcibly displaced numerous Nigerians, stripping them of their land, homes, and livelihoods without providing the just, fair, reasonable, and adequate compensation required by law.
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He added, “Despite exhaustive attempts to address these issues of injustices, the government, through its agents, has shown a pattern of coercion and disregard for constitutional and legal rights.
“In the last eight months, over 65 correspondences have been sent by professional representatives of the project-affected persons to the Minister of Works, each highlighting the inadequacies and injustices within the current compensation framework. Despite these numerous communications, the minister has refused to provide a single response, not even from the legal directorate of the ministry.
“Instead, he continued to organise politically tainted stakeholder meetings where project-affected persons are subjected to bullying, shaming, and harassment by the minister, his agents, and security personnel. Many of these events have been recorded and are widely accessible on social media, underscoring the extent of hostility faced by these affected individuals under the ministerial oversight of Senator David Umahi.”
The Coalition head highlighted that, according to Sections 29 and 30 of the Land Use Act of 1978, the Land Use and Allocations Committee is required to address compensation disputes, offering a platform for arbitration.
He lamented, “Yet, the Minister of Works has continuously evaded this statutory requirement, disregarding opportunities for fair dialogue and preferring to coerce, intimidate, and harass Project-Affected Persons into accepting unconscionable, unfair, and inadequate compensation.
“In their quest for justice, the PAPs have formally petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives through their lawful attorney. The Speaker of the House of Representatives assigned this case to the House Committee on Public Petitions, which has since issued two summonses and held two hearings.
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“However, despite repeated invitations, the Minister of Works has refused to appear before the committee, resulting in a third summons being issued by the Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions, Michael Etaba.
This continued disregard for the legislative process exemplifies the Ministry’s disposition to justice and continued dismissal of the Project-Affected Persons’ plight.”
The coalition also urged President Bola Tinubu to step in.
Minister Umahi had noted that the budget for compensation on Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway rose from N8 billion to N18 billion.
He further stated that all individuals on the compensation list for this section would be paid within 10 days.
However, Project-Affected Persons along the Lagos-Calabar Highway rejected the N18 billion compensation offer from the Federal Government, calling it inadequate compared to the true value of their properties.