Communities located along the right of way of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway have knocked David Umahi, the minister for works, for referring to their ancestral villages as shanties because skyscrapers weren’t built there.

Oladotun Kazeem, a lawyer, spoke on behalf of the communities during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, noted that the villages called shanties are graveyards of some people’s ancestors.

The ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project has generated a lot of controversy, particularly the demolition of businesses and communities situated along the shoreline.

At a press briefing recently, Umahi said ₦2.1 billion will be paid as compensation to the demolished buildings with the right documents. The minister, however, said that shanties located along the shoreline will not be compensated.

Speaking on Arise News, Kazeem said it is an insult for the minister to refer to some people’s ancestral homes as shanties because he was looking at them from the helicopter.

“Where the minister is calling shanties are graveyards of ancestors of some people. And I believe that the minister is also from a village in Ebonyi State; he cannot allow his ancestral village to be wiped out as a result of a statement calling them shanties.

“That’s even an insult, in Yorubaland, you cannot call a community a shanties just because you are watching from the helicopter and you believe those buildings so far they are not skyscrapers; they also have the same rights as those that built skyscrapers,” the lawyer said.

Kazeem said that the government formed a reconciliation committee to address the issue but the major stakeholders, like the traditional rulers of the affected communities, were not involved.

He noted that the government is communicating, but it is one-sided; the government pushes out what it want the people to hear.

Kazeem said the government must have a communal discussion with the affected communities in order to have a win-win solution.

Instead of demolishing the communities, the lawyer argued that the government can reclaim the ocean surge to make way for the project.

Source: https://businessday.ng/news/article/it-is-an-insult-to-call-our-ancestral-villages-shanties-coastline-communities-tell-umahi/

I didn't support this white elephant project, but this is why it's important to make your ancestral homes look decent.

If Igbos are telling Yorubas to go and build their villages, it looks like an insult. Now, Umahi is threatening to clean up your communities without compensations and Oladotun Kazeem is out here wailing.

Oga your acces

Oga lawyer won chop this same villagers money

Meanwhile the tilumbu's lagos and all the skyscrapers within it were built with the money from oil sales gotten from the same place they arr calling shanties today

South south people una sorry oh tilumbu don carry una handicap ♿️

Not SS but still in Lagos. That project aint getting to SS

SeeWahala:
Meanwhile the tilumbu's lagos and all the skyscrapers within it were built with the money from oil sales gotten from the same place they arr calling shanties today

South south people una sorry oh tilumbu don carry una handicap ♿️

Why are they twisting Umahi's words?

Umahi only talked about the shanties within landmark axis

No matter the propaganda and wailing, this project wont stop

Trash from a fool, the bastard should go and stop them now....

Setting up emergency graveyards to obtain compensations.

...we all know the game.

Whether he calls it shanties, whether he calls it village, whether he calls it town, Umahi has zero bleeps to give.

This öne na small matter. Street Parties or popularly known by the locals as Owambe can be organized preferably after friday jumat Service until early Sunday morning

Just make sure the people there are happy. Enough food like rice, amala with stew or gbegiri mixed with ewedu, meat orishirishi like shakky , kpomo lot to drink & good music. Invite Fuji music stars to give live music.

The construction can go on in peace at the same time.

All we want is peace & development

How dare umahi refer to brown roofs as shanties


Is he not aware that his ancestors are still jumping palm trees when those brown roofs were built😂

Wetin concern government with ancestors

Paraman:
Why are they twisting Umahi's words?

Umahi only talked about the shanties within landmark axis

No matter the propaganda and wailing, this project wont stop

Na your Yoluba Muslim brother you dey call wailer o

COMRADES, Umahi is a nonsense man, look at the way he is misbehaving because of this white elephant project

The entire country na shanties on its own

Thunder fire our enemies... Be it among those politicians. Or business people in Nigeria

The gods must be angry with this coastal highway of corruption. Never seen a project so submerged in controversy. Government projects are for the people, but when so many voices pick holes in such a project, it means all isn't well. If not for ulterior motive, how would such a big project be so rushed without proper alignment with the stakeholders?

It's either you accept what APC said or you take two tablespoons of this every morning.

MIsplaced priorities by this thieving government.
15.7 trillion naira would solve the perennial power issues we have in this country but they want to sink it into a road, while their brain-dead followers cheer them on

No long talk ,mention the villages that are not shanties .

Speaking on Arise News, Kazeem said it is an insult for the minister to refer to some people’s ancestral homes as shanties because he was looking at them from the helicopter.

“Where the minister is calling shanties are graveyards of ancestors of some people. And I believe that the minister is also from a village in Ebonyi State; he cannot allow his ancestral village to be wiped out as a result of a statement calling them shanties.

“That’s even an insult, in Yorubaland, you cannot call a community a shanties just because you are watching from the helicopter and you believe those buildings so far they are not skyscrapers; they also have the same rights as those that built skyscrapers,” the lawyer said.

straighttalk:
Yes

the lawyer na obedient from agulu

Sorry o. They are skyscrapers. Lol

Shanty or panti, all must make way.

Yes

Shebi him no get shanties for him village

Dave Umahi's arrogance is really nauseating.

It will favour me and my gang...... Over to you