Faced with the impending demolition of their homes and neighborhoods, community leaders in the coastal communities of Iwerekun and Ajah in Lagos, Nigeria, have turned to the Take It Back Movement for support and solidarity. The Movement, which has emerged as a voice for the people in the face of injustice and oppression, is now rallying behind the residents as they battle to protect their heritage and their future against the looming destruction brought by the proposed coastal highway.
Fueled by the need to protect the lives and legacies of their people, community leaders in the coastal communities of Iwerekun and Ajah have embarked on a crucial mission: to shield their homes, their history, and their heritage from the dangers posed by the looming demolition of their neighborhoods. With the proposed coastal highway threatening to uproot their lives and erase centuries of cultural significance.
The proposed 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has become a double-edged sword for the communities in its path. The ambitious development project promises to bring progress and connectivity to Nigeria, but at a heavy price for the residents of the coastal areas. As the route is being altered, these communities face the harrowing prospect of displacement, destruction of their cherished heritage, and the loss of their homes. Alarmed by this imminent danger, residents and local leaders are calling for intervention to halt the highway’s encroachment and preserve their way of life.
The Coastal Highway heralds the arrival of a grim fate. With the prospect of displacement looming over community, these residents also fear that the highway’s construction will not only uproot them from their homes but will also wipe away centuries of precious cultural heritage and historical significance.
Community leaders have shed light on the troubling fact that this situation differs greatly from the typical scenario of government compensation for displaced residents. Initially, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s proposed route did not include the communities now facing the danger of demolition.
This alteration to the highway’s path has caught the affected residents and leaders off guard, leaving them feeling aggrieved by this unexpected and devastating turn of events.
In the face of this looming threat, the communities are not only fighting for their present but also for their past, determined to preserve their legacies and protect their right to a dignified existence in their ancestral lands.
Seen as a breach of trust by the government, the affected communities have found their resolve strengthened by a sense of righteousness and indignation. The alteration to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s route has sparked a rallying cry among the residents who feel their rights and dignity are being trampled upon. In a defiant stance against the potential loss of their homes and cultural heritage, these communities are standing up for their rights, unwilling to quietly accept a perceived injustice that could erase their past and imperil their future.
A foreboding atmosphere hangs over the communities in the path of the proposed Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as the grim specter of demolition looms over their homes, schools, hospitals, and cultural sites. The relentless march of progress, embodied by the highway project, poses a threat not just to the present-day amenities of these communities but also to their rich cultural heritage and historical tapestry.