Members of the Ifesowapo Abule-Egba Community Development Association in the Alimosho area of Lagos State, on Wednesday, protested the ongoing demolition of their properties by the officials of the state government to pave the way for the new Computer Village in the area.
The protesters, who took their grievances to the state House of Assembly, said they were surprised to see bulldozers pulling down houses in the community.
The Chairman of the association, Mr Gbenro Akerele, said the community was not averse to the establishment of the Information and Communication Technology Park in the community but wanted things to be done properly.
He stated, “We are not averse to any developmental effort of the state government, but what we are saying is that we are not animals. I was a political office holder and I have many supporters. We have been carrying the area along very well. Alimosho delivers a lot in terms of voting.
“Even if a landlord were to give a tenant a notice to quit, he will give him up to six months to get another place. But for us, this was not done; they just brought a notice and asked us to remove our properties from the area within seven days.”
Akerele urged the assembly to intervene in the matter urgently in the interest of peace.
The Secretary of the association, Mr Sulaimon Akewusola, said the state government had marked over 600 houses for demolition, adding that the removal of the structures had already started.
He said the property he had been living for the past 40 years was built by his father, adding that the areas affected by the demolition were Alubarika, Osunde, Ugochukwu, Ogunyemi, Abubakar and Church streets.
According to him, the government should concentrate on the market and leave the areas where people are living alone.
He said, “We have been living here for the past 40 years and suddenly last week Friday, a seven-day notice was brought to the community from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development that we should vacate our properties.
“This is why we are here to make our grievances known; all the homeowners here have the Federal Government’s Certificates of Occupancy signed by the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN).”
The Chairman, House Committee on Lands, Mr Aderemola Kasumu, who was accompanied by the chairmen on Science and Technology, Mr Olarewaju Afini, and Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Nurudeen Adesanya, asked the protesters to submit their petition to them.
Kasumu, who spoke on behalf of Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, assured the protesters that the House would do something about their case.
He said, “We, the honourable members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, have something to do on the issue because we have the interest of the people at heart.
“What I will say is to implore you all to present to us a position paper so that in one way or the other we can look into the issue promptly.
“I cannot say for certain, because we don’t know the next plenary date, but I am sure there is a way to deal with matters of urgent public importance. The Speaker will direct further action on how to go about it.”
When contacted, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, said the issue started since 2002 when the government informed the residents that it would use the area for a development project.
He said several notices had been given to the residents prior to Friday before the government took action.
Salako stated that the government had rolled out a programme to compensate all qualified property owners in the area, adding that the compensation package was being sorted out.
The commissioner said, “This matter started in 2002 when we told them that the state government would use that land for a future development programme. Notices had been given to them but they refused to quit. The seven-day notice that was given to them on Friday, January 17, 2020, was the last resort before the demolition.
“Under the Land Use Act, the law invests the land in a state in the state government. Those who are qualified will be compensated; the government cannot do something like that without compensating the right persons.”
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