KINGSLEY EBERE
Nigerian investors in the Diaspora and their foreign counterparts on Monday in Houston, Texas, USA, commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for its readiness to dialogue with members, whose investments were affected by the last minute realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, had during a meeting with protesting members of the Coalition for Civil Society of Nigeria at the Ministry of Works Headquarters in Abuja, last month, opened a channel of dialogue with the affected investors.
Top members of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government are expected to meet with the delegates from the affected investors under the WinHomes Scheme anytime soon.
The investors, while commending the government for finally hearkening to the voice of responsible governance, urged the government to ensure that the past wrong doings are properly corrected.
Coordinator of the Direct Foreign Investments, Engr. Stella Okengwu, while speaking during the World Press Conference said, “Held in the wake of a historic and hopeful development, the opening of a formal channel of communication by the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Honourable Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi, to engage with diaspora investors affected by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road realignment, through the coalition of civil society of Nigeria”.
Engr, Okengwu, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes Global Services Limited, stressed, “For us, this is more than a meeting, it is a defining moment of dialogue, restoration, and reconciliation”.
“Let me begin by commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Honourable
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, for demonstrating courage and statesmanship by listening to the cry for justice and opening the door for peaceful engagement.”
“This gesture alone speaks volumes. It sends a strong signal to the world that Nigeria is serious about protecting foreign direct investment, especially from its own citizens all over the world.”
“We are also grateful to the coalition of civil society, whose mediation and civic
engagement played a pivotal role in facilitating this dialogue.
Their bridge-building efforts are deeply appreciated and showed the power of organized civic voices in national healing.”
She continued, “Let the world know this today: diaspora Nigerians are not against the Government of Nigeria and its developmental projects. On the contrary, we are development partners.”
“The US$250 million WIN Homes Estates project in Okun Ajah, now demolished, was a beacon of that commitment. We believe in the future of this country. We brought our hard-earned resources home, not to exploit, not to speculate, but to rebuild, to restore confidence, and to create jobs.”
“That is why the demolition of WIN HOMES Estates without proper notice,
dialogue, or compensation broke more than walls — it broke trust. It sent shockwaves across global Nigerian communities, who have long waited to invest but feared precisely this kind of uncertainty” Engr. Okengwu stated.
She also added, “Many of them are doctors, engineers, nurses, business owners, and professionals, who had long waited for a reason to believe again in Nigeria. And when they finally did, what followed was destruction – not just of buildings, but of confidence”.
Engr. Okengwu also pointed out, “Let me be absolutely clear: that our year-long outcry has never been political, it has never been anti-government. Some of us supported this very government because we saw hope”.
“Our protest, peaceful, legal, and sincere, was a call for fairness, for restitution, for the rule of law. We believe no meaningful national development can thrive outside of justice. Beyond financial loss, WIN HOMES Estates had already begun to deliver tangible value to Nigeria before the demolition.”
“Hundreds of unemployed youth were hired, small businesses around Okun Ajah were thriving, materials were sourced locally, and most importantly, a wave of hope swept through Nigerians in the diaspora who began to believe that they could return home and still succeed.”
“This estate was not divided by ethnicity or religion. It was a unifier — a blueprint
for inclusive development where Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ijaw, Efik, and others, invested side by side, not as tribes, but as Nigerians.”
“Mr. President, we are your people, citizens who never stopped believing, even from thousands of miles away, that Nigeria will be better again.”
The investors pleaded, ” We ask respectfully that the demolished properties be properly evaluated and adequate compensation paid to WIN HOMES, so that every affected investor is compensated thereafter”.
“We also ask that projects of such a diaspora magnitude receive presidential protection going forward, so that Nigeria can finally reverse the capital flight we have been lamenting for decades.”
To the investors, she said, “To every subscriber, who stood strong through this storm, we say thank you. Our bond with you is unbreakable. WIN HOMES will never disappoint you. We will get to the promised land. Let this be the turning point where we move from grief to growth, from loss to legacy.”
African American investor in the scheme, Dr. Kimberly Stark, while speaking during the conference said, “The government has restored hope with the opening of the channel of dialogue”.
She said, “This single gesture, if followed by transparent resolution and firm enforcement, will send a strong signal to the global market that Nigeria is no longer a place where investors are ignored or displaced without recourse”.
Dr Kimberly maintained, “If sustained, this approach will strengthen Nigeria’s ranking on the ease of doing business, investment protection and investors confidence indices.”
“We therefore, call on the government to go further by establishing a Standing Diaspora Investments Protection Desk. Let us institutionalized this spirit of dialogue and protection” she advised.