Hopes Dashed As Landmark Beach Gives Way To Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road

The pictures in this story were taken over the past two weeks, before the last vestige of hope that this shoreline will be preserved disappeared, like the structures being pulled down presently by bulldozers at location.

Breeze Beach Club at Landmark Beach in Lagos will never be seen this way again, as a gargantuan wall of sand advances ominously, accompanied by the crushing sound of concrete being brought down. 

As the dreams for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway begin to come to life and take shape, the dreams of many others at Landmark Beach – business owners, workers and funseekers – fade away, with the tourist spot swiftly transforming into a construction site, rather than a place to relax.

 Jobs disappear as land is reclaimed from the sea, just as pseudo dunes replace actual waves.

Ask Clement, the lifeguard at Breeze Beach who is resigned to his fate, knowing that no sea, no need for his services. That’s all he knows he says, as he stares into the distance, lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the green dredger spouting sand in the air, like a dragon spitting fire. 

“They told us to move the jetty,” he said, pointing at the L-shaped pier jutting out of Breeze Beach. 

“We told them we can’t; how can we move a jetty built of concrete? They will have to move it themselves.” 

Now the pier is no more. But there’s trepidation in the air, with business owners not sure of what will stand or fall, only depending on “rumours” and markings on walls. 

“They’ve marked our kitchen,” a manager at Breeze Beach says, as a few others do imaginary calculations of what they think will stay and what will go forever. 

No one at the upscale club could have envisaged this new reality, not even when first markings were made months ago.

The member and invitation only club opened two years ago, revelling in its exclusive status, which a $4,000 annual membership levy bestows.

But now, despite its Mediterranean ambience, most of its appeal is gone. In its place are plans to wall off what used to be a sea view. No more switching from swimming pool to ocean at will. 

LETTER OF DOOM 

It all started a few weeks ago when the Chief Executive Officer of Landmark Group, Paul Onwuanibe, received a shock in the form of a letter from Lagos State, with the government issuing a 7-day eviction notice and a demolition warning for the $200 million Landmark Beach Resort.

The letter said the resort is in the way of the coastal highway spanning nine states, with Lagos and Calabar at either end.

Landmark Group and the several businesses situated at the beach were thrown into confusion, as the notice came without any warning. Uncertainty loomed for over 80 businesses providing over 4,000 jobs directly, all benefitting from the location by the beach. 

For many of them, no beach, no business.

Since that moment, the bustling beach has had its welcoming atmosphere sucked out, with sober faces in its stead, and palpable tension, as businesses live in constant fear of suddenly being dislodged at any moment, with “RIGHT OF WAY” having been sprayed on numerous buildings, marking them for demolition. 

Those who visited the establishment over the past two weeks could sense the mood. For those who couldn’t, a huge banner reading “#SAVE LANDMARK BEACH” was planted firmly in the sand, in an attempt to lobby tourists to join voices and urge government to save their source of livelihood.

But alas, to no avail.

TOURISM, ECONOMY

From its inception in 2019, Landmark Beach has evolved from a mere tourist spot to a pivotal destination within Lagos, offering not only pristine shores and breathtaking views but also a plethora of activities that cater to a diverse range of visitors. 

Created with the aim to redefine Lagos’ tourism landscape, Landmark Beach stands as a multifaceted destination, boasting attractions such as the Laquarie water park, Lagos water jetty for water sports, a shooting range, mini-golf course, paintball field, quad biking, and an array of food vendors serving both local and international delicacies. With over 20 offerings, it has emerged as a culinary hotspot within the city.

Beyond its recreational offerings, Landmark Beach significantly impacts the local economy by generating job opportunities for hundreds, from lifeguards to vendors. 

What began as a visionary concept has blossomed into a thriving destination, symbolising hope, resilience, and the transformative power of dreams.

Landmark has since become the most visited tourist destination on the West African Coast with over 3.5 million annual visitors. 

NO RETURN TO ORIGINAL ALIGNMENT 

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

Speaking to ARISE News about two weeks ago, he expressed belief that it’ll be a win-win situation.

He said the original plan will not only save businesses that will be destroyed as a result of the revised plan, but also save money and manpower for the government.

Onwuanibe said, “The original alignment of the coastal road was Water Corporation Road. I mean, you had the picture on your screen, and it actually showed quite clearly the Water Corporation Road, the two feeder lanes, and then the medium that was meant to house it. 

“Then there’s Landmark, and there’s the beach, and there’s the sea. The alignment was changed from Water Corporation Road… so instead of it running on the land side of Landmark, it’s going to run on the beach side of Landmark.”

Describing his reaction to the evacuation letter sent by the Lagos State government, he said, “It’s absurd when you see a letter like that. Someone has built something over 17 years and pulls three and a half thousand people, over three and a half million visitors that come every year, and you give them 7 days to evacuate. I couldn’t evacuate my bedroom in 7 days.”

UMAHI: ‘NO BUSINESSES WILL BE LOST’

Hot on the heels of the Landmark owner’s appearance on ARISE News, Nigeria’s Works Minister Dave Umahi assured that with the design of the coastal highway project, only 50 metres of the shoreline and a few shanties will be removed, assuring that all “permanent structures” will be left intact.

Umahi also said that even though by the ruling of the Supreme Court, the land on which Landmark is running its business belongs to the federal government, the construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway will make use of only 50 metres of the shoreline, which is irrevocable.

He also called on the public to disregard any false information pointing to people losing their jobs as a result of the construction.

“I am told by Eko Atlantic that even where Landmark is situated belongs to them but that is not supposed to be my business, and who owns the land is not supposed to be my problem but the recent Supreme Court judgement gave the right of ownership of the land to federal government; 250 metres from the point of the shoreline belongs to the federal government which means the land belongs to the federal government.

“But we are interested here because we are talking about investment and we are happy with investment, and so we are taking 50 metres of that shoreline and it is irrevocable. 

“We have been magnanimous by reducing the corridors to 50 metres just to ensure that not only his properties but the properties of the other people along that shoreline is secured. 

“They have dished out wrong information that jobs will be lost and properties damaged but that is wrong.”

TALES OF WOE

However, despite Umahi’s hollow assurances that no businesses will be lost due to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road construction, tension still remained high among several businesses on Landmark Beach, leading them to cry out for help and a change of mind from the government. 

With most of their structures marked for demolition with an inscription that read ‘RIGHT OF WAY’, some have lost hope, while others pleaded, hopeful that government would have a change of heart. 

The manager of Lagos Beach Club, John decried the downward spiral the business is bound to plunge to.

He said Umahi was simply playing politics with his statement.

“This is just politics. The government is just trying to play mind games, because he said businesses will not be shut down, but he didn’t say where. There’s Landmark and there’s Landmark Beach. 

“So, this is Landmark Beach, and just immediately outside this Landmark, there’s Landmark Event Centre, there’s Landmark Tower. So, of course, this is not going to affect the events centre or the towers.

“He’s telling the public what it wants to hear. He didn’t go in detail to explain that it’s going to affect the beach, but it’s not affecting the tower, it’s not affecting the event centre.”

Speaking on Landmark Beach, John said, “This is one of the most visited tourist centres in West Africa, it’s safe for us to say that, because we always say Landmark is one of the best in West Africa.

“We’ve been here from day one, I’ve been here for five years, since 2019, and this is like my home. It’s like taking our home from us, almost all the staff here have been here from day one. So, it’s like taking our home from us, depriving people coming to have fun here.”

The sorrow was evident in Chinenye’s voice, as she said that if demolition happens, she will lose the ability to cater to her family.

Chinenye, who has worked at Lagos Beach Club for almost 2 years, said, “Now they are demolishing the place, making me jobless. You now have to, like, carry a file, start looking for a job.

“Some of my younger ones depend on me, school fees, food, all those things. If this goes now, I don’t know how it’s going to be, it’s going to be struggling to pay their school fees, struggling to eat, struggling for everything…”

Josephine, who has been working to support her single father and younger siblings, said, “I left home to come and look for a job, at least to assist my dad, because it’s only me, him, and my siblings. So, the little money now that I will be able to give my dad to assist him, and my sister, my brothers… it’s not coming again. Instead, I’m going to be another mouth that he’s going to be feeding.

“Yesterday, we had a bonfire. The people that came are not even a quarter of the staff that work at Landmark, everybody is going to go out to start looking for a job.”

A member of staff at another of the businesses at the beach, Friday, lamented that the demolition would only put a lot of people out of jobs without hope or offer of new jobs, considering the current state of Nigeria’s economy.

“It is a hospitality business as you can see, it’s not a transportation business, so we’re not going to have a job anymore. So, what they’re going to do is not going to create any job opportunity for any of us, rather, they’re going to steal from our mouth. None of us is happy.

“Who knows when they’re going to demolish everywhere and they send us off the beach? Who knows? Nobody knows.

“Who’s going to help? I don’t know. Maybe someone might, I don’t know. But we really need help. We don’t want them to take this away from us,” he said.

A manager of one of the businesses that begged anonymity said, “When I told my boss about the place, she didn’t know what to do and she was like, ‘try and sell everything off’ and I was like ‘wow, you don’t even have a plan for me.’

“It’s going to affect me particularly, because there is no other job, this is what I support myself with. When it comes to health issues, I tell myself  let me save my money from here, for my operation and all. So, this is where my mind is…let me save the money and go for my operation and then treat myself. 

“But now, if this thing that is going on eventually happens, there’s no way I’m going to save up, because, you know, paying your house rent, you have siblings, you have family, and the health along with it. So, it’s really something.”

Sadly, for every one of the accounts above, there are hundreds more. 

Demola Ojo, Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi, Chioma Kalu, Melissa Enoch 

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