While the dust over demolitions along the Lagos-Calabar coastal road construction is yet to settle, property developers and landowners along the corridor yesterday got a jolt, as President Bola Tinubu warned governors that approvals already given for illegal setbacks on federal highways will be revoked.
Tinubu issued the warning on Thursday during the official inauguration of the access road to the Lekki Deep Sea Port. This comes after the President warned developers not to erect structures on the setbacks around the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway during the commissioning of phase 1 of the project on Saturday where he disclosed that already, the Federal Government had so far paid N18 billion as compensation for the coastal road.
He described the road as a strategic infrastructure that would enhance connectivity, facilitate investment inflows, and ease movement within the rapidly developing Lekki free trade zone. The reconstructed access roads to the Lekki Deep Seaport will drastically reduce logistics costs, ease congestion, and position Nigeria to reclaim maritime business that is lost to neighbouring countries.
Reiterating the warning and emphasising the point again regarding illegal developments and unregulated land reclamation at the event where several state governors were present though the host governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was conspicuously absent, Tinubu said: “I am glad the Deputy Governor of Lagos is here; take it that we will revoke all those approvals, even on the setbacks already given, and please note that we are very serious about this. No more planning approval for those unapproved islands being created illegally.”
The distance a building must be from a road or property line, generally ranging from three to nine metres, is known as ‘setbacks’. The President also appealed to the governor to avoid giving planning approvals without collaborating with the Surveyor General of the Federation and the Ministry of Works.
“I have directed the Minister of Works to work with the Surveyor General of the Federation and all the governors on these legacy projects route bypass to procure reasonable setbacks for future land expansion, building of infrastructures to enhance road architecture and return on investment.
“Please, our dear governors, let’s work together. Don’t give planning approvals without collaborating with the Surveyor General of the Federation and the Ministry of Works, please, I appeal to you,” Tinubu said.
Guardian Nigeria
