Nigerian investors in the Diaspora, on Monday in Houston, Texas, United States of America (USA), have 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.

The Minister of Works, Engineer 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.

New Telegraph gathered that top members of the Bola Tinubu-led federal government are expected to meet with delegates of the affected investors under the WinHomes scheme soon.

The investors, while commending the government for finally heeding their voices, urged the government to ensure that the past wrongdoings are properly corrected.

Speaking on Monday in Lagos at a press conference, Coordinator of the Direct Foreign Investment, Engr Stella Okengwu, said the opening of a formal channel of communication by the Federal Government, through the Minister of Works, Engineer Umahi, to engage with diaspora investors affected by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road realignment.

Engr. Okengwu, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes Global Services Limited, stressed that ” 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 Tinubu and the Minister of Works for demonstrating courage and statesmanship by listening to the cry for justice and opening the door for peaceful engagements.

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. The bridge-building efforts are deeply appreciated and show the power of organised civic voices in national healing.

“Let the world know this that the Nigerians in the diaspora are not against the Government of Nigeria and its developmental projects. On the contrary, we are development partners in the project in Nigeria.

The US$250 million WinHome 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 for the unemployed youths in the country. Which is why the demolition of the estates without proper notice, dialogue, or compensation broke more than walls; it broke trust. It sent shockwaves across Nigerian communities in the diaspora who have long waited to invest but feared precisely this kind of uncertainty.”

She added that “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 the confidence they had in Winhomes estate.

“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 is peaceful, legal, and sincere, and it was a call for fairness, for restitution, for the rule of law.”

Okengwu said she believes no meaningful national development can thrive outside of justice. Beyond financial loss, Winhomes estate had already begun to deliver tangible value to Nigeria before the demolition.

It was also gathered that 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 in a friendly atmosphere.

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 other tribes invested side by side, not as tribes, but as Nigerians.

She said: ” Mr President, we are your citizens who never stopped believing in you even from thousands of miles away, that Nigeria will be better again during your administration.

We ask respectfully that the demolished properties be properly evaluated and adequate compensation paid to WinHomes, so that every affected investor is compensated adequately.”

An African-American investor in the scheme, Dr. Kimberly Stark, speaking at the conference, said the government has restored their hope with the opening of the channel of dialogue and gives them confidence.

She said: “This single gesture, if followed by transparent resolution and firm enforcement, sends a strong signal to the global market that Nigeria is no longer a place where investors are ignored or displaced without recourse

“If sustained, this approach will strengthen Nigeria’s ranking on the ease of doing business, investment protection and investors’ confidence indices in the country.

“I therefore called on the government to go further by establishing a Standing Diaspora Investments Protection Desk so as to institutionalise the spirit of dialogue and protection.”