Nigeria’s new coastal highway is modeled after California’s PCH. That’s only one of its problems

Construction has just begun on Nigeria’s Calabar-Lagos highway, but the multibillion-dollar project is already mired in controversy.

Last month, Nigeria started work on the 700-kilometer Calabar-Lagos coastal highway project, an undertaking that quickly saw the demolition of 70% of a $200 million beach resort, the dissolution of businesses, and the loss of jobs. According to CNN, Paul Onwuanibe, the owner of the razed resort, didn’t get any advance notice about the demolition until late March when he was told he had seven days to evacuate the property. It didn’t take long after the notice period for the area to become rubble.