By Emmanuel Ogbodo
Landowners displaced by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project have condemned the Federal Government’s refusal to compensate for undeveloped lands, calling the policy unconstitutional and unjust.
Legal and property experts have joined the outcry, urging a review of relevant laws.
Folusho Ogunrinde, General Secretary of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Lagos Chapter, criticized the policy for disregarding the intrinsic value of land, stating that compensation should cover both land and its improvements.
Legal expert Joseph Siyaidon argued that the policy violates Sections 43 and 44 of the Nigerian Constitution, which protect all immovable properties, including bare land.
Displaced landowners, such as Peter Mgbeahuru, who lost land valued at N487 million, have expressed frustration over the exclusion of undeveloped land from compensation.
They are calling on the government to reconsider the policy and provide fair compensation in line with constitutional rights.
