The former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi is allegedly instigating people in the southeast, particularly the uneducated, to rebel against the government, according to Minister of Works Dave Umahi.
Umahi asserted that even after putting the folks into trouble, Obi would not stand up for them. Speaking on Wednesday at a compensation ceremony for property owners impacted by the proposed Lagos-Calabar coastal road, he made the claim. The Federal Ministry of Work was in charge of organising the exercise.
Controversy has surrounded the 700-kilometer coastal route since the $200 million Landmark Beach Resort was demolished to make room for the project, which is expected to cost the federal government N15 trillion.
Following the demolition, the obviously alarmed Group CEO of Landmark, Paul Onwuanibe, told BusinessDay that the government bulldozer had damaged almost 70% of the beach, calling the action “insensitive.”
The debris you see here is all that remains of these enterprises.Many jobs have been gone, and many Nigerian families are suffering as a result of those people’s investments and means of subsistence being reduced to nothing more than rubble, Onwuanibe stated.
Obi, on his part, denounced the administration of President Bola Tinubu for continuing the contentious Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project in spite of popular protest. The front-runner for president voiced his disapproval of the government starting a project that will result in job losses during a period of extremely high unemployment.
Obi stated that it was still possible to halt the Lagos-Calabar highway project and that national security, the eradication of poverty, access to healthcare, and education—particularly for the impoverished and disadvantaged—were critical needs.
He had also bemoaned the insensitivity and heartbreak of the alleged demolition of houses and businesses in the project’s allotted right of way, saying that it was wiping out livelihoods, squandering lifelong investments, and eliminating jobs.
The former governor of Anambra State wrote on Tuesday, “The outcry against this project has been overwhelming due to the current situation in the country,” in a post on his X Twitter.
But according to sources as of yesterday, the Lagos end of the project has started demolishing homes and businesses in the allocated right of way. It hurts my heart to see this thoughtless destruction. As bulldozers tear through, livelihoods are being destroyed, lifetime investments are being squandered, and jobs are being eliminated. Bulldozers are causing elderly people’s homes to topple over.
The public’s outrage has been widespread, especially among business and property owners who would be directly impacted by the project, yet this quick flag-off ignores it. Nobody anticipates the clamour that will follow this initiative as it moves closer to impoverished rural areas.
There could be a loss of thousands of jobs and investments exceeding $200 million. The leisure and hotel industry, which supports over 100,000 employment, is in danger of disappearing, as are 80 small enterprises and their 4,000 primarily young workers.
But because Umahi was directly involved, he maintained that Landmark had not been treated inhumanely and that the issue ought to be forgotten.
According to the former governor of Ebonyi State, Obi passes judgement on others by criticising them, which ultimately brings judgement upon himself.
“I am not supposed to comment about it because some people have already done the work,” he stated in reference to some of his brother His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi’s remarks. And thanks to Channels Television, I am aware of what Arise Television brought: comparable situations during His Excellency Peter Obi’s tenure as governor. “Any infrastructure that stands in the way of the road must go,” he declared in a statement. Additionally, there would be no payment made. That was his statement.
However, judging from the administration’s human face behind the revived hope agenda, we are even footing the bill for those who are residing illegally on the coast without proper documentation or infrastructure. That’s kindness, that’s kindness.
You are aware that some people unknowingly taint advice. You are aware that the details are crucial. “You judge yourself when you pass judgement on others. And that’s just what Obi has done. Additionally, I believe he is agitating certain ignorant folks in the southeast. He’s stirring them up. and puts them in danger. He also doesn’t go defend them in battle. Knowledge is a weapon. And because I am participating, I want our people to be wise.
Since I was present, there was no inhumanity towards Landmark, and the situation ought to be forgotten. Thus, we used all effort in our fight. Even some individuals gave real estate to preserve his two large infrastructures. That is gratitude. But in an attempt to play politics, some people have chosen to support him.