The Landmark Beach is located within Landmark Village, a cutting-edge development along the Atlantic Ocean waterfront in Victoria Island, Lagos.
This prime beachfront property ranks among the top ten luxurious beaches in Lagos and features a three-part hotel and resort designed for leisure and recreational activities.
However, in a recent CNN news report, Paul Onwuanibe, the owner of Landmark Beach, expressed concern about the Lagos State Government’s plan to close down this multimillion-dollar beach resort.
Onwuanibe revealed that the Lagos state government notified him that his beach resort must be removed as it falls within the right-of-way of a planned 700-kilometer (435-mile) coastal highway linking the former capital city to Calabar, a port city near the border with Cameroon.
Expressing his reaction to CNN, the Landmark Group leader shared, “One was amazement, second was concern and the third one was, ‘is this real or is this an April Fools’ (Day prank in) advance?”
According to Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal road, when completed, will span 700 kilometers, entering the world record books alongside iconic coastal routes such as the Wild Atlantic Highway in Ireland and the Pacific Coastal Highway in the United States.
Ajayi shared via his official X account on March 23, 2024, that starting from Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island in Lagos, the Coastal road will traverse through Lekki Deep Seaport, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa-Ibom States.
“Economic analysts have revealed that the completion of the first phase of the project alone could increase the size of Lagos State economy by 50% because of the connection to Lekki Deep Seaport and the Lekki economic corridor where Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex is situated alongside other multinational industries,” Ajayi stated.
While commending the the planned coastal Onwuanibe feared that it “will pose a huge threat to inward investment into the state and, most importantly, pose a threat to people who are already in the state trying to do things.”
Shortly after raising these concerns, the Landmark Group released a press statement regarding a new development concerning the project.
“We are pleased to announce that constructive dialogue has led to promising developments. As a result, we are exploring win-win solutions, including the possibility of rerouting a 1.5km section of the Coastal Road to its original location along the undeveloped Water Corporation Road median. This solution aims to minimize the impact on existing businesses while facilitating the progress of this commendable infrastructure project,” the statement read.
In the face of uncertainty, the dialogue between the Landmark Group and government officials signals a potential compromise for the Landmark Beach resort.
As both parties navigate the delicate balance between progress and preservation, the outcome will not only shape Lagos landscape but also serve as a testament to the power of collaboration in overcoming challenges of urban development.
With promising solutions on the horizon, the fate of Landmark Beach resort hangs in the balance, awaiting a resolution that honours both its history and the vision for a greater Lagos.