Olaudah Equino has condemned the move by the Lagos state government to demolish Landmark Beach Resort, reportedly owned by Paul Onwuanibe.
In a notice dated March 19, 2024, signed by O. Samuel, Deputy Director, Development Matters Department of the Lagos State government, Landmark Beach Resort, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, was issued a “removal notice on the physical development within the right of way (RoW) of the proposed Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project in Lagos State.”
The notice reads, Following the publication of Friday, March 15th, and Saturday, March 16th, 2024, in the two national newspapers; The Nation and The Punch, respectively, for the construction of 103km of the 700 kilometers of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway by the federal Ministry of Works in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, I am to inform you that your property falls within the right of way alignment of the project by 50 meters: ‘Beach Resort, Kids and Bay Area, Member Area, and Lagos Beach Club.’
“Consequently, the affected portion shall be removed in overriding public interest, to pave the way for the road construction project from seven(7) days of serving this notice.
“Given the above, I am to request that you forward all documents supporting your ownership of the property to the Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Blocks 13 and 14, the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
“Your timely response to the above would be appreciated.”
Reacting to the eviction notice, Olaudah, in a statement on Tuesday, accused the Lagos state government of witch-hunting the owner of the resort on ethnic grounds.
He said that the eviction notice is a consequence of the “senseless, one-sided war of bigotry against a particular ethnicity by the APC as an aftermath of the last presidential elections.”
Berating the federal government, Olaudah noted that “Nigeria has a long way to go” under the APC.
Olaudah’s statement reads They’ve targeted my friend Paul Onwuanibe’s Landmark Beach Resort for the flimsy excuse of their coastal road that may never see the light of day.
“Paulo has been conscientious and deliberate in developing the leisure potential of the city of Lagos, which he calls home. How sad he’s being paid back with a rough coin.
“I thought that this should be a time for healing after a senseless, one-sided war of bigotry against a particular ethnicity by the APC as an aftermath of the last presidential elections. Nigeria, under the APC, has a long way to go.
“Paulo You should channel your investments back home in the East. I hope you’re compensated for this gross injustice.”
