The Coalition for Land Rights Advocacy in Nigeria is preparing to take legal action against the Federal Government due to what it describes as unfair compensation payments to individuals affected by road projects.
In an exclusive interview, the head of the Coalition, Sola Enitan, revealed that the group intends to sue the Minister of Works, David Umahi, if he does not meet the coalition’s demands.
Enitan stated, “If the Minister of Works does not yield to our demands, it goes without saying that we would be going to court. The coalition would be going to court on behalf of the Project-affected persons as they have already briefed us to represent their interests.”
He further explained that the coalition had delayed legal action in order to exhaust the process of issuing three formal summonses.
“It should be noted that the reason why we have not gone to court is because we want to exhaust the three summonses and then we would see what the house of assembly would do. Upon the third summon if the minister does not respond, a resolution would be done showing what the parliament wants to do,” he noted.
Should these efforts prove futile, Enitan emphasized that the next step would be litigation, saying, “After the resolution phase is exhausted and the minister does not still comply, we would head to court. Unless the President compels the minister and he does the right thing, there would be no need to go to court, but if he does not do the right thing, then there would need to go to court.”
The issue centers around the ongoing road project, initially presented as a development for the public good, which has allegedly led to the forcible displacement of many Nigerians.
These individuals claim they have lost their lands, homes, and livelihoods due to the project, without receiving compensation that meets the legal requirements for fairness and adequacy as outlined in Nigerian law.
“Despite exhaustive attempts to address these issues of injustices, the government, through its agents, has shown a pattern of coercion and disregard for constitutional and legal rights,” Enitan added.
The Coalition has sent over 65 correspondences to the Minister of Works over the past eight months, detailing the inadequacies in the current compensation framework.
However, Enitan highlighted that the Minister has failed to respond to any of these communications, even from the Ministry’s legal directorate.
“Instead, he continued to organise politically tainted stakeholder meetings where project-affected persons are subjected to bullying, shaming, and harassment by the minister, his agents, and security personnel,” Enitan said.
He pointed to widespread recordings of such meetings circulating on social media, which reveal the level of hostility that those affected by the project have been subjected to under Umahi’s oversight.
Enitan pointed to legal frameworks such as the Land Use Act of 1978, which mandates the Land Use and Allocations Committee to step in and mediate compensation disputes.
“Yet, the Minister of Works has continuously evaded this statutory requirement, disregarding opportunities for fair dialogue and preferring to coerce, intimidate, and harass Project-Affected Persons into accepting unconscionable, unfair, and inadequate compensation,” he said.
To address these issues, the Project-Affected Persons have taken the step of petitioning the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Speaker assigned the case to the House Committee on Public Petitions, which has since issued two summonses and conducted two hearings.
Despite repeated invitations, the Minister has refused to attend these sessions, forcing the Committee Chairman, Michael Etaba, to issue a third summons.
“This continued disregard for the legislative process exemplifies the Ministry’s disposition to justice and continued dismissal of the Project-Affected Persons’ plight,” Enitan noted, emphasizing the severity of the situation.
The Coalition has also called for intervention from President Bola Tinubu, urging him to take decisive action to address the issue.
Minister David Umahi had earlier stated that the compensation budget for Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway had increased from N8 billion to N18 billion. However, he insisted that everyone on the compensation list for this section of the road must have received their payment within 10 days.
Despite this, Project-Affected Persons along the highway have rejected the N18 billion offer, calling it insufficient given the actual value of their properties.
