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Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has accused Landmark Africa of “land grabbing” along the Lagos beachfront and threatened legal action against its Chief Executive Officer, Paul Onwuanibe, over claims about the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s impact on the business.
Umahi made the remarks during an interview on Arise News on Friday morning, October 23, 2026.
The minister disputed Onwuanibe’s account of the losses Landmark incurred after the Federal Government demolished structures within the highway’s right of way, insisting that the government had taken steps to protect the company’s main facilities.
Umahi Challenges Landmark’s Land Ownership
Umahi challenged Onwuanibe to make public the company’s Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and other documents establishing its legal title to the affected land.
- “He was land grabbing,” Umahi said, referring to Landmark’s occupation of portions of the beachfront affected by the project.
- “Let him publish his C of O,” the minister added.
Umahi maintained that the Federal Government had adjusted the highway’s route around Landmark’s permanent structures to avoid destroying its main facilities.
- “We saved his permanent structure,” he said, arguing that the demolished structures consisted largely of “shanties” along the beachfront rather than the company’s principal development.
The minister’s comments followed claims by Onwuanibe about the impact of the highway project on Landmark’s business and the losses resulting from the demolition.
Umahi Questions Landmark’s Reported Losses
Umahi also challenged the figures associated with Landmark’s financial losses, pointing to what he described as inconsistencies between the company’s reported investment value and the amount it said it had lost.
He said Onwuanibe had previously referred to investments worth about $250 million but had more recently cited losses of approximately N42 billion following the demolition.
- The minister questioned the basis of the figures and rejected the suggestion that the government had arbitrarily destroyed a legitimate investment without regard for ownership or compensation rights.
- Umahi said smaller businesses and other affected occupants deemed eligible for compensation had been identified and paid.
- He maintained that the affected people were enumerated and that payments were made directly into their bank accounts.
The minister described the compensation process as transparent and said the government had taken steps to address claims from eligible occupants.
Umahi also warned that he could pursue legal action if Onwuanibe continued making statements he considered misleading.
- “If he doesn’t refrain from misleading the public, I may take him to court,” he said.
What you should know
The disagreement over Landmark Africa’s beachfront property and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway dates back to May 2024, when Umahi said the company had no claim to the 250-metre shoreline forming part of the project’s right of way.
At the time, the minister accused the property owners of playing politics and appealing to public sentiment over the demolition.
Umahi maintained that the government had made efforts to spare Landmark’s infrastructure and that the core of the facility had been preserved.
- “No claim for Landmark. He has no claim. We spared all his infrastructure; we don’t pay for shanties. The shanties are on our Right-of-Way which is 250 meters from the shoreline. So, he has no claim,” he said in May 2024.
- He added that the government had made efforts to protect the company’s main facilities, saying, “We made all the efforts to spare all his infrastructure and that is why I say he is a politician while I’m an engineer. I don’t know the attention he is seeking.”
Onwuanibe had called on the Federal Government to reroute the coastal highway, warning that demolishing the property would lead to the closure of more than 80 businesses operating within the resort.
He also estimated that the development could result in the loss of about 12,000 direct and indirect jobs.
