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The deadlock caused by the diversion of the Lagos-Calabar expressway through the Okun Ajah community persisted over the weekend, as investors, stakeholders, and local residents clashed with the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, during a site tour conducted by the House of Representatives Committee on Works.
The minister ,while briefing the House of Representatives committee members in the presence of some stakeholders at Eleko beach said that the road was diverted in Okun Ajah because of Sub marine cable .
The declaration from the minister however generated uproar from stakeholders ,who shouted that “there is no marine cable in Okun Ajah .”
The Minister of Works ,while speaking with the stakeholders said: “When we got to Okun Ajah at Km 16 ,we discovered that we have a lot of network cables, MTN, Africa Network that is coming from the ocean. Many people do not understand that.
Instead of going by the designed corridor, which was the Gazetted corridor twenty five years back . In 25 years ago ,these cables were not there; now they are there.
“You will recall that in about one month ago ,we had a cable challenge that disrupted network throughout the entire west Africa We didn’t want to go through that challenge again. Some people reported to Mr President .”
The minister also continued that ” We sat down with the community .We sat down down with Hi Tech and we decided to divert the Coastal road .
So when you hear people talking that we left the Gazetted corridor, it is for this reason because you are talking of multi billion naira cable network at that location.
We have to divert at Kilometres 16 and we now resurface at Kilometres 25 .That is why you have been hearing all sort of things ”
He insisted that ” Let me say that ,we have finalized the corridor, there is no change on that corridor again .”
Meanwhile ,the declaration generated uproar from the stakeholders, who insisted that the submarine cables are in Okun Mopo, which is about seven kilometres away .
Yusuf Odunuga appealed to the minister to use the opportunity of the road construction to save the heritage of the people of Okun Ajah from Occean surge .
Odunuga, who is an indigene of Okun Ajah also insisted that the cables are in Okun Mopo, which is many kilometers away from the community .
He said ” Oga’ ,I know it very sure ,the cable you mentioned is on Kilometre 23 .Please use a stone to kill two birds .Save our community from Occean surge by diverting the road to block the surge of the occean .”
One of the investors, Arc Ejiro Asholami said that he will be losing more than #40 million ( forty million naira ) to the diversion of the road and with no fault of his .
