Okun Ajah community faces demolition threat as Federal Government marks homes

On Monday, fear and uncertainty gripped Okun Ajah as Federal Ministry of Works officials returned to mark homes for demolition, sparking tension within the community.

Accompanied by armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the officials faced peaceful protests from residents, prompting them to call for additional support from heavily armed soldiers.

The arrival of soldiers dispersed residents, creating a scene of chaos as the military took strategic positions throughout the community.

These newly marked homes are slated for demolition to make way for the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project.

This is the fourth round of house markings since the Federal Government announced the commencement of the road construction, adding to the residents’ anxieties and confusion.

The residents also denied that there are any marine cables in the community, stating that telecommunications companies had visited the area and confirmed the absence of network cables.

Many residents, including 80-year-old Pa Ashimi Noibi, expressed their disbelief and confusion with the markings, adding that the road construction is causing serious stagnation in the community.

They urged the Federal Government to save their community from ocean surges by constructing the road at the waterfront, as most of the houses there had already collapsed.

Pa Noibi, while speaking with the ministry officials, urged them to return to the 2006-gazetted coastal road alignment.

One of the residents, Timothy Ige, accused the Federal Ministry of Works of deliberately favouring certain individuals with different markings.

He said, “What I want all of us to know is that there is God. You are telling us to go and meet the minister. Not all of us have access to the minister.”

He stated, “I have been living here since 2006. I created the road here with my hands. It took me many days. I asked the necessary questions before I started building, and I was told where the coastal road would pass through.”

“The normal route for this road is the ocean side. Even in the Republic of Benin, their expressway is by the seaside. Why is it different in Nigeria?” he queried.

He also stated, “There was already a place designated for this road. If they know that they want to favour some people who are above the law, they should go to the seaside.”

“There were just four of us here as of 2006. We asked the necessary questions before we built our houses. All the houses and hotels that they are avoiding now were not there then.”

Another resident, John Thomas, said, “I have been here since 2006. There was never a time they marked my building for coastal road alignment, but now, because they want to favour some rich people, they are marking our houses for demolition.”

“The government should consider us. We complied with all the necessary laws and should not be sacrificed for those who broke the law.”