By John Alechenu, Abuja
Owners of demolished property within the WINHOMES Estate located along the Lagos end of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway have petitioned President Bola Tinubu over what they described as the “reckless and damaging conduct” of the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi.
In a letter addressed to the President, the company’s chief executive, a United States citizen who is also a Nigerian diaspora investor, Engr. Stella Okengwu alleged that the minister’s conduct and utterances with respect to the demolition of the estate were capable of scaring away genuine investors.
According to her, the minister had repeatedly invoked the president’s name in a matter that is already before a court of competent jurisdiction — a conduct she said, “is improper, dangerous, and exposes the esteemed office of the President to unnecessary domestic and international controversies.”
She further explained that, “This matter is sub judice. By tying your name to his actions, he has placed the presidency in the line of legal and diplomatic fire,” noting that Section 1(3) of the 1999 Constitution remains supreme over all officeholders.
The WINHOMES chief executive explained that the project, conceived in 2021, was designed as a tourism-led development model aimed at inspiring Diaspora Nigerians to reinvest in their homeland.
She further stated that hundreds of investors, most of whom live abroad, had subscribed. The project, she stated, sits on 20 hectares of legally acquired land in Lagos, with three valid titles and 2,500 fully serviced plots, each valued at ₦150 million.
Okengwu disclosed that the total value of the project stood at ₦375 billion (approximately $250 million), representing one of the largest Diaspora-backed real estate investments in the country.
She, however, explained that the diversion of the coastal highway project has already affected 400 plots valued at ₦60 billion, while cumulative damages and infrastructural losses are estimated at ₦85 billion.
“This is Diaspora sweat, real capital, and tangible infrastructure — now endangered by ministerial overreach,” she added.
She also refuted insinuations that the project was financed through illegal channels, stressing that WINHOMES Global Services Ltd. is duly certified by the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) and compliant with all Central Bank of Nigeria and anti–money laundering regulations.
She warned that, “All funds were transferred through legitimate financial channels such as Sendwave, MoneyGram, Western Union, and TapTap. Any attempt to brand such lawful funds as illegal is defamatory and will be met with appropriate legal action.”
On the ongoing court case, she accused Umahi of making false claims that judgment had been delivered in favour of the Federal Government, stating that the matter — Suit No: FHC/L/CS/10063/25 — remains pending before Justice Akintayo Aluko at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi.
Citing the 1986 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Governor of Lagos v. Ojukwu, she said no party, including the government, has the right to take the law into its own hands during litigation. “The Minister’s physical visit to the disputed site and his public declaration that he has taken the land himself is contemptuous and unconstitutional,” she asserted.
The developer further raised concerns about reports that certain private developers had allegedly approached the Minister to purchase parts of the estate, warning that any such actions would amount to fraudulent interference with private property and destroy Nigeria’s foreign investment credibility.
She said, “The world is watching. Every reckless statement from the Minister de-markets Nigeria and raises the risk perception among foreign investors.”
She appealed to President Tinubu to intervene by calling the minister to order, reaffirming judicial independence, and setting up an independent valuation panel to assess diaspora losses.
The board investor said, “This is your moment to show that Renewed Hope is not a slogan but a covenant of justice,” she told the President. “Either we protect the Constitution and Nigeria’s investment future or allow ministerial impunity to erode trust built over decades.”
The petition concluded with a call for structured dialogue between the Tinubu administration and WINHOMES through its legal representatives, adding that “the credibility of Nigeria’s investment climate depends on how this matter is resolved.”
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