In Atan-Ota, Ogun State, over 300 property owners are reeling after dismantling their homes and businesses in anticipation of the Badagry-Sokoto Superhighway project, only to find the construction corridor markings were allegedly shifted. Residents claim they acted on instructions from officials, stripping buildings of roofs and fixtures, to later discover some structures were no longer in the project’s path while others previously spared were now affected.
The Federal Ministry of Works denies shifting the highway alignment, maintaining the path has been consistent from the start. Aliu Oyewande, the ministry’s representative, stated that property enumeration is complete and pending final approval, with compensation payments expected to begin before the end of the month. The Ogun State government has clarified that compensation remains a federal responsibility due to the project’s national scope.
For the people of Atan-Ota, the ordeal has been devastating. Families have lost ancestral homes, multi-generational graves had to be exhumed, and small business owners have seen their livelihoods vanish. While residents emphasize they support the national development goals of the highway, they are calling for transparency and the immediate release of funds to help them recover from the financial and emotional toll of this confusion.
