FG Paid ₦1bn in Coastal Highway Compensation to Cross River Communities. Not Everyone Was Satisfied.
In late 2025, the Federal Government began disbursing roughly ₦1 billion in compensation to Cross River residents. Their homes, farmlands, and commercial structures fell within the right-of-way of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway. Specifically, the payments covered Section 3A of the 750-kilometre project, spanning Akamkpa and Odukpani Local Government Areas.
How the Payments Worked
Federal Controller of Works Yinka Onafuye said officials captured between 700 and 1,000 affected persons for payment, based on valuations from certified professionals. Payments were completed in Akamkpa’s Awi and Njagachang communities first. The ministry then extended payments to roughly ten communities in Odukpani, including Ikot Okon Akiba, Oduyama, and Nkitta. Additionally, the ministry paid beneficiaries only through bank accounts, having abolished payment by proxy given the sums involved.
A Complication Worth Noting
However, not every community welcomed the process. In Odukpani’s Okoyong axis, for instance, indigenous landowners alleged that non-indigenes had infiltrated the compensation list. Specifically, they claimed genuine claimants were replaced by outsiders backed by compromised traditional rulers and political appointees. As a result, the Association of Concerned Indigenes of Okoyong Community warned the situation risked local tension. Still, it’s unclear from available reporting whether the Federal Ministry of Works formally responded to these specific allegations.
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Why This Matters for Real Estate
Major infrastructure projects like the Coastal Highway promise long-term gains, higher land values, business expansion, new jobs. Yet the compensation process itself often determines whether affected communities trust that promise. In particular, disputes over genuine entitlement can delay projects, fuel local conflict, and complicate land titling for years after construction finishes.
Conclusion
Overall, the Federal Government delivered compensation payments largely as planned. Whether it also delivered a fair, trusted process, one that didn’t leave genuine landowners displaced twice, over land and now over payment, remains a harder question to answer from the outside.
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