The implementation of the Lagos- Calabar coastal line project spanning several states in Nigeria has raised concerns among citizens, leading to conversations regarding transparency and due process. Despite its purported benefits, criticisms have emerged regarding the government’s handling of the initiative.
A lawyer, Oladotun Hassan, is the latest to air his opinions on the issue, saying in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, that the government’s first line of duty in handling the situation was supposed to be reclamation instead of demolition.
“The project ab initio had an alignment, right of way, which was initially an ab initio excised by law of the land especially laws of Lagos state which are bound and the citizens are bound by such laws at the same time. Looking at the historical antecedent of the shorelines from bar beach downward to Epe and all the other axis, there has been a lot of incremental ocean surge which has eaten deep to over 300 metres of the preserved line that could have even given the benefit for the project. The government did not just want to take the bull by the horn by reclamation which ought to be their first line of duty not demolition. The demolition exercise is a minus because it prone the project to nosedive ab initio from the outset.
“The 250 metres that they are claiming should be reclamation first. If they reclaim the over 3000 metres of shoreline, then we can now talk about the way forward. But as of now, the president needs to exercise a lot of patience and caution his minister of works, that is Mr Dave Umahi from going into this obnoxious task.”
Hassan called for greater inclusivity and transparency to be made, urging the government to engage in genuine dialogue and consultative process while prioritising the interests of citizens, adding that the town hall meeting that was held did not properly collate the opinions of the people.
“The town hall meetings that were called was just mere wanting to have a covering the field opinion that oh let’s just do it for the mere sake of doing it, which opinions were never collated properly. There were agitations in that hall. We watched on your news, you saw protestations even while 2 point something billion were being displayed and shared. This, to me, calls for concern. What we call what we are practising is democracy, meaning the people must come first. I believe the president is a democratic person who harbours to abide and to honour to show that rule of law is the opium of democracy not rule of force. When oppression of man by man becomes the order of the day, it will lead to impunity, injustice, cries, deceit and these are the views that will manifest our international identity.
“I believe that town hall meeting ought to cut across the eight states at once so that let everybody know where this whole thing will end, so that the government should not haphazardly think it is solving a problem, at the end of the day, it is opening another cancerous problem. And the government should not see it as an ethnic issue. These are critical factors that are bedevilling the goodwill of the project. Let this project follow that harmonious valid opinion of everyone. We want justice to be manifested.”
The lawyer reiterated that he is not condemning the government, but is simply advising that it upholds democratic values and engage in an inclusive approach that respects citizens’ rights.
“What we are saying here is not to demonise the government, it’s for the government to put a human face. The government is communicating but their communication is just one sided. Whatever the government wants is what they want the people to accept and that is not going down well with the people. They need to sit down, let it be a communal debate. It is not that the project should not come alive, I have given a solution. Let the government reclaim the ocean surge. 3,000 metres was eaten and some of these places are better off.”
Melissa Enoch
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