Coastal highway: What we built in six years was demolished in six hours – Landmark

A part of Landmark Beach on Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday was demolished to give way to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Nigeria’s biggest public infrastructure project.

This is despite the outcry in some sections about the potential jobs and means of livelihood that will be lost.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, while defending the demolition noted that the move was necessary considering the landmark centre was located on the Federal Government’s Right-of-Way.

The minister had earlier assured that with the design of the coastal highway project, only 50 metres of the shoreline and a few shanties will be removed while “permanent structures” will be left intact

Images from the demolition showed that structures erected along the coastline including cabanas, football turf, and many others were pulled down. Breeze Beach Club, located at the centre was also pulled down.

A post on X from Landmark Africa, the parent company of the beach, in reaction to the exercise, read “What we built in six years was destroyed in six hours”, alluding to their investment believed to be around $200m that has been turned to ruins. They, however, promised to be back.

Recall that Landmark owner, Paul Onwuanibe, had earlier pleaded that the government return the construction of the coastal road to the original alignment before it was moved to the path of the beachfront.