Lagos to compensate residents affected by gas pipeline projects

Lagos State government on Tuesday pledged that residents and businesses along the Bonny Camp to Eleko, whose properties are within the Right-of-Way for the 132KVA electricity transmission and gas pipeline projects, would be compensated.

The supervising Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Engineer Abdulhafiz Toriola and the Permanent Secretary, Kamal Olowoshago, stated this during the second stakeholders’ meeting on the project for affected residents in Ajah to Eleko.

They both maintained that Lagos State government is committed to executing the project with human face reason all the houses that will be affected will be properly enumerated before the project kicks off so that there will not be issues around the compensation.

Olowoshago, represented by a director in the Lands Bureau, Olawale Ojikutu, stated that professional valuers will be deployed for the evaluation, while the government will pay compensation even if the owners of the buildings do not have approved planning documents.

On his part, Toriola stated that the primary objective of the stakeholders’ meeting is to raise awareness among stakeholders in Ajah to Eleko about the right of way, to explain how it will affect them, and to gather their feedback to ensure the project’s smoothness.

“This stakeholders’ meeting is to gather their input, as their feedback will be taken into consideration. God has a plan for the affected residents and businesses, which is why the permanent secretary of lands is represented. This is to give them assurance that there will be a proper enumeration of all the structures and property.

“Government should have a human face, and what we are doing, I mean the project, is for the benefit of the community, as there has been erratic power supply along that corridor. So this project is to ensure they benefit from the dividend of democracy by ensuring that they have adequate power supply,” he said.

Toriola revealed that the project will take 18 months, as it will take nine months to execute the Bonny Camp to Ajah section and another nine months to execute the Ajah to Eleko section.

He pleaded that the residents should cooperate with the officers during the project, and that if they have any issues or challenges, they should feel free to approach the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Lands and Physical Planning to have them addressed.

The forum provided an opportunity to review progress since the first stakeholders’ meeting, address technical, environmental and planning considerations, and further strengthen collaboration towards the seamless delivery of the projects.

The meeting was attended by members of host communities, traditional rulers, utility service providers, private-sector developers, and other key stakeholders.