Coastal road: Communities fear flooding, displacement over blocked drainage

Leaders of the Ibeju-Lekki Ancestral Community Foundation have raised concerns over an alleged blocked drainage channel along a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Eleko, warning that the development could trigger severe flooding and displace residents from their ancestral homes during heavy rainfall.

The foundation, comprising more than 53 communities, including Eleko, Museyo, Opo Ijebu and others, raised the concerns during a meeting attended by representatives of the affected communities at the Eleko Town Hall on Sunday.

When PUNCH Metro visited the area, some houses and shops located along the coastal road corridor in Eleko were observed to be below road level, heightening fears that floodwaters could inundate the communities.

Community leaders also showed our correspondent a drainage channel they alleged had been blocked by ongoing construction work on the coastal highway.

Speaking on behalf of the communities, Chief Adebayo Agbabiaka said residents were not opposed to development but feared the environmental consequences of the blocked drainage system.

“This drainage is about nine to 10 metres wide. Even a small downpour will be catastrophic. We are not against development, but there is no way the houses here will survive heavy rainfall if the water has nowhere to pass,” he said.

Agbabiaka alleged that the blockage appeared deliberate and was intended to force residents out of their communities.

“We believe this was deliberately done to force us out of our communities. If not, why would the only channel through which water flows be blocked without creating an alternative route?” he queried.

He further alleged that authorities were aware residents might eventually abandon their homes once flooding became frequent.

“They know quite well that once people start experiencing flooding in their homes, they will begin to leave the area,” he added.

The community leader also reiterated the communities’ rejection of the proposed 150-metre setback along the highway corridor, insisting that residents had nowhere else to relocate to.

“We have begged them repeatedly that the 150-metre setback is not acceptable. We have no other place to go. We have sacrificed a lot for the development of Nigeria,” he said.

“All we are asking is not to be uprooted from our ancestral homes. When the idea of the coastal road was conceived over 30 years ago, it was never meant to take away people’s homes. We have made enough appeals for a waiver.”

Agbabiaka said a meeting held between government representatives and community leaders on April 4 failed to address the communities’ major concerns.

“The first thing we need assurance on is the waiver. We have given enough already — the Free Trade Zone, the seaport, land for Dangote, and now the coastal road. We have sacrificed enough and do not want to go extinct,” he added.

Also speaking, the youth coordinator of the communities, Ganiyu Adewale, said residents unanimously rejected any relocation plan.

“We all unanimously agreed that no community will vacate its land because of this project. The project came to meet the communities; the communities did not come to meet the project,” he said.

“We do not want relocation or compensation. What we want are absolute waivers.”

Adewale noted that communities in Ibeju-Lekki had already surrendered vast portions of land for major development projects, including the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Dangote Refinery, Lekki Free Trade Zone and the proposed Lekki International Airport.

“Despite the inconveniences, environmental impact, and social adjustments that followed, the communities endured these sacrifices in the interest of development,” he said.

“All we are asking the government to do is to grant us waivers, as they have done for others. We are human beings, too.

“This development must not be allowed to erase indigenous communities. That is our cry. From Opo Ijebu down to Aboriji, there are more than 53 communities affected.”

Speaking at the April 4 meeting held at Lake Grand Hotel in Igbo-Efon, Adewale said residents initially believed discussions would focus on the controversial setback issue.

“We thought the meeting would address the 150-metre setback, but when we got there, it turned out to be like the usual quarterly meetings they hold,” he said.

“They spoke about building hospitals, markets, and other projects, but we told them that while we are not against development, our communities are facing extinction because of the 150-metre setback.”

PUNCH Metro had earlier reported that some communities raised concerns over an alleged Federal Government plan to enforce a 150-metre setback on both sides of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, warning that the move could wipe out long-established ancestral settlements.

However, a source in the Federal Ministry of Works, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, told PUNCH Metro that the markings along the corridor were carried out by the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation.

According to the source, the marked structures were not slated for demolition but were identified to notify residents that the affected areas fall within Federal Government land.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a flagship Federal Government infrastructure project expected to span about 700 kilometres, linking Lagos to Calabar through several coastal states, including Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.

Despite the project’s economic significance, property owners and residents along the corridor have continued to express concerns over demolitions and displacement linked to the development.