Last glimmer of hope fades away for businesses at Landmark Beach as demolition begins, to pave way for Lagos-Calabar highway.
Breeze Beach Club at Landmark Beach in Lagos will never be seen this way again, as a gargantuan wall of sand advances ominously, accompanied by the crushing sound of concrete being brought down.
As the dreams for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway begin to come to life and take shape, the dreams of many others at Landmark Beach – business owners, workers and fun seekers – fade away, with the tourist spot swiftly transforming into a construction site, rather than a place to relax.
Jobs disappear as land is reclaimed from the sea, just as pseudo dunes replace actual waves.
Ask Clement, the lifeguard at Breeze Beach who is resigned to his fate, knowing that no sea, no need for his services. That’s all he knows he says, as he stares into the distance, lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the green dredger spouting sand in the air, like a dragon spitting fire.
“They told us to move the jetty,” he said, pointing at the L-shaped pier jutting out of Breeze Beach.
“We told them we can’t; how can we move a jetty built of concrete? They will have to move it themselves.”
But now, despite its Mediterranean ambience, most of its appeal is gone. In its place are plans to wall off what used to be a sea view. No more switching from swimming pool to ocean at will.
It all started a few weeks ago when the Chief Executive Officer of Landmark Group, Paul Onwuanibe, received a shock in the form of a letter from Lagos State, with the government issuing a 7-day eviction notice and a demolition warning for the $200 million Landmark Beach Resort.
The letter said the resort is in the way of the coastal highway spanning nine states, with Lagos and Calabar at either end.
Landmark Group and the several businesses situated at the beach were thrown into confusion, as the notice came without any warning. Uncertainty loomed for over 80 businesses providing over 4,000 jobs directly, all benefitting from the location by the beach.
For many of them, no beach, no business.
Since that moment, the bustling beach has had its bright atmosphere sucked out, with sober faces in its stead, and palpable tension, as businesses live in constant fear of suddenly being dislodged at any moment, with “RIGHT OF WAY” having been sprayed on numerous buildings, marking them for demolition.
Those who visited the establishment over the past two weeks could sense the mood. For those who couldn’t, a huge banner reading “#SAVE LANDMARK BEACH” was planted firmly in the sand, in an attempt to lobby tourists to join voices and urge government to save their source of livelihood.
But alas, to no avail.
From its inception in 2019, Landmark Beach has evolved from a mere tourist spot to a pivotal destination within Lagos, offering not only pristine shores and breathtaking views but also a plethora of activities that cater to a diverse range of visitors.
Created with the aim to redefine Lagos’ tourism landscape, Landmark Beach stands as a multifaceted destination, boasting attractions such as the Laquarie water park, Lagos water jetty for water sports a shooting range, mini-golf course, paintball field, quad biking, and an array of food vendors serving both local and international delicacies. With over 20 offerings, it has emerged as a culinary hotspot within the city.
Beyond its recreational offerings, Landmark Beach significantly impacts the local economy by generating job opportunities for hundreds, from lifeguards to vendors.
What began as a visionary concept has blossomed into a thriving destination, symbolising hope, resilience, and the transformative power of dreams.
Landmark has since become the most visited tourist destination on the West African Coast with over 3.5 million annual visitors.
Landmark owner Onwuanibe had earlier pleaded that the Nigerian government return the construction of the coastal road to the original alignment that was planned for it before it was moved to the path of Landmark beachfront.
He said the original plan will not only save businesses that will be destroyed as a result of the revised plan, but also save money and manpower for the government
“Then there’s Landmark, and there’s the beach, and there’s the sea. The alignment was changed from Water Corporation Road… so instead if it running on the land side of Landmark, it’s going to run on the beach side of Landmark.”
Describing his reaction to the evacuation letter sent by the Lagos State government, he said, “It’s absurd when you see a letter like that. Someone has built something over 17 years and pulls three and a half thousand people, over four million visitors that come here every year or three and a half million visitors that come every year, and you give them 7 days to evacuate. I couldn’t evacuate my bedroom in 7 days.”
However, despite Umahi’s hollow assurances that no businesses will be lost due to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road construction, tension still remained high among several businesses on Landmark Beach, leading them to cry out for help and a change of mind from the government.
With most of their structures marked for demolition with an inscription that read ‘RIGHT OF WAY’, some have lost hope, while others pleaded, hopeful that government would have a change of heart.
The manager of Lagos Beach Club, John decried the downward spiral the business bound to plunge to.
He said Umahi was simply playing politics with his statement.
“This is just politics. The government is just trying to play mind games. Because he said businesses will not be shut down, but he didn’t say where. There’s Landmark and there’s Landmark Beach.
“So, this is Landmark Beach, so, just immediately outside this Landmark, there’s Landmark Event Centre, there’s Landmark Tower. So, of course, this is not going to affect the events centre or the towers.
“He’s telling the public what it wants to hear. He didn’t go in detail to explain that it’s going to affect the beach, but it’s not affecting the tower, it’s not affecting the event centre.”
Speaking on Landmark Beach, John said, “This is one of the most visited tourist centres in West Africa, it’s safe for us to say that, because we always say Landmark is one of the best in West Africa.
“We’ve been here from day one, I’ve been here for five years, since 2019, and this is like my home. So, taking our home from us, almost all the staff here have been here from day one. So, taking our home from us, depriving people coming to have fun here.”
The sorrow was evident in Chinenye’s voice, as she said that if demolition happens, she will lose the ability to cater to her family.
Chinenye, who has worked at Lagos Beach Club for almost 2 years, said, “Now they are demolishing the place, making me jobless. You now have to, like, carry a file, start looking for a job.
“Some of my younger ones depend on me, school fees, food, all those things. If this goes now, I don’t know how it’s going to be, it’s going to be struggling to pay their school fees, struggling to eat, struggling for everything…”
Josephine, who has been working to support her single father and younger siblings, said, “I left home to come and look for a job, at least to assist my dad, because it’s only me, him, and my siblings. So, the little money now that I will be able to give my dad to assist him, and my sister, my brothers… it’s not coming again. Instead, I’m going to be another mouth that he’s going to be feeding.
“Yesterday, we did one bonfire. The people that came outside are not even quarter of the staff that are working in Landmark, everybody is going to go out to start looking for job.”
A member of staff at another of the businesses on the beach shore, Friday, lamented that the demolition would only put a lot of people out of jobs without hope or offer of new jobs, considering the current state of Nigeria’s economy.
“It is a hospitality business as you can see, it’s not a transportation business, so we’re not going to have a job anymore. So, what they’re going to do is not going to create any job opportunity for any of us, rather, they’re going to steal from our mouth. None of us is happy.
“Who knows when they’re going to demolish everywhere and they send us off the beach? Who knows? Nobody knows.
“Who’s going to help? I don’t know. Maybe someone might, I don’t know. But we really need help. We don’t want them to take this away from us,” he said.
“Like I particularly, it’s going to affect me because there is no other job, this is what I support myself with. When it comes to health issue, like, let me save my money from here, you know, do your operation and all. So, this is where my mind is…let me save the money and go for my operation and then treat myself.
“But now, if this thing that is going on eventually happens, there’s no way I’m going to save up, because, you know, paying your house rent, you have siblings, you have family, and the health along with it. So, it’s really something.”
