Lagos Estate Owners Seek Tinubu’s Intervention

Owners of Winhomes Estate, a $250 cardinal Diaspora-funded improvement task successful Lagos, person appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene by calling the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to bid implicit the alleged demolition of their properties successful the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway corridor.

At the task inspection successful Lagos, the curate said that “only astir 4 hectares of Winhomes Estate onshore were affected by the Lagos-Calabar road alignment.”

He added, “The substance has gone beyond the Ministry of Works. The Lagos State authorities has revoked the land, and the tribunal has ruled successful our favour. I ne'er called WinHomes for immoderate negotiation. The lawsuit is closed.”

But successful a connection directed to the President, the company’s main executive, Stella Okengwu, a United States national and award-winning Nigerian Diaspora investor, alleged that the Minister’s nationalist statements and carnal actions regarding the estate’s demolition violated law principles, undermined judicial independence, and exposed the presidency to reputational risks.

According to her, the Minister had repeatedly invoked the President’s sanction successful a substance already earlier a tribunal of competent jurisdiction — a behaviour she said “is improper, dangerous, and exposes the esteemed bureau of the President to unnecessary home and planetary controversies.”

“This substance is sub judice. By tying your sanction to his actions, helium has placed the presidency successful the enactment of ineligible and diplomatic fire,” she said, noting that Section 1(3) of the 1999 Constitution remains ultimate implicit each bureau holders.

Okengwu explained that the project, conceived successful 2021, was designed arsenic a tourism-led improvement exemplary aimed astatine inspiring Diaspora Nigerians to reinvest successful their homeland. Backed by hundreds of investors overseas and overseas partners, the task sits connected 20 hectares of legally acquired onshore successful Lagos, with 3 valid titles and 2,500 afloat serviced plots, each valued astatine N150 million.

She disclosed that the project’s full worth is N375 cardinal (approximately $250 million), representing 1 of the largest Diaspora-backed existent property investments successful the country.

However, according to Okengwu, the diversion of the coastal road task has already affected 400 plots valued astatine N60 billion, portion cumulative damages and infrastructural losses are estimated astatine N85 billion.

“This is Diaspora sweat, existent capital, and tangible infrastructure — present endangered by ministerial overreach,” she lamented.

In the ongoing tribunal case, she accused Umahi of making mendacious claims that judgement had been delivered successful favour of the Federal Government, stating that the substance — Suit No. FHC/L/CS/10063/25 — remains pending earlier Justice Akintayo Aluko astatine the Federal High Court, Ikoyi.

Citing the 1986 Supreme Court ruling successful Governor of Lagos v. Ojukwu, she said nary party, including the government, has the close to instrumentality the instrumentality into its ain hands during litigation. “The Minister’s carnal sojourn to the disputed tract and his nationalist declaration that helium has taken the onshore himself is contemptuous and unconstitutional,” she asserted.

The developer raised concerns astir reports that backstage developers had allegedly approached the Minister to acquisition parts of the estate, informing that specified actions would magnitude to fraudulent interference with backstage spot and destruct Nigeria’s overseas concern credibility.

While calling for contiguous compensation and nationalist correction of misinformation, she told Tinubu, “This is your infinitesimal to amusement that Renewed Hope is not a slogan but a covenant of justice.

“Either we support the Constitution and Nigeria’s concern aboriginal oregon let ministerial impunity to erode spot built implicit decades.”