…urges govt to stop ongoing illegal sale of communities’ lands by ministry officials
Indigenes of nine communities in Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State have cried out to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to order the return of the 750 hectares of ancestral and resettlement lands seized from the people of the area by the Lagos State Government.
Similarly, the Idasho community in a separate petition to Governor Sanwo-Olu has demanded compensation for 1234.569 hectares of land acquired from them by the Lagos State Government for the building of Dangote Refinery and other industrial uses.
The people of the nine communities, which include Tiye, Idasho, Okuraiye, Idotun and others argued that the return of their ancestral and resettlement lands seized by the state government would bring back peace in the communities.
They also appealed to the Lagos State Government to adhere strictly to the White Paper and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the people of the affected nine communities, particularly the MOU signed with the late Tunde Disu.
The leaders of the affected nine communities stated this during a press conference in Lagos where they narrated how the state government took over their family lands since 2006.
According to them, in the MoU signed between their communities and the state government in 2007, the Lagos government agreed to allocate 750 hectares of lands to the people of the area.
The community leaders, however, expressed surprise at the claim by the Lagos State Government that it only agreed to return 375 hectares of the land to the communities and not the 750 hectares stated in their agreement.
They also claimed that even the 375 hectares was already being sold by the state government’s committee members without complying with the agreement on ground.
The community leaders, therefore, appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to urgently return the 750 hectares of land to the people of the affected nine communities.
They stated, “The communities have written series of protest letters to the government that the resettlement land have been sold by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry staff and government officials.
“In June 6, 2020, we all agree to comply and Governor Sanwo-Olu himself promised us that all will be looked into.
“Some of the community leaders that were present included Chief Samuel Enock Babatunde, community leader in Idasho; Chief Joseph Adekunle Keshinro, Tiye community; Mr Wasiu Yekinni (Okunraiye), and Mr Ogunlaja Kamilu ( Idotun).
The Idasho community in its separate letter of demand for compensation for its land acquired by the Lagos State Government for Dangote Refinery and other industrial, which was addressed to Governor Sanwo-Olu and jointly signed by the Idasho Community Leader, Chief Samuel E. Babatunde and their Secretary-General, Otunba Ladipo Olusanya Adeokun, made a four-point request to the state government.
The community also expressed regret and pains at how their people had been “humiliated and forced out of our natural habitation on our communal land, which we inherited from our ancestors. When we remember those that have died and our traditional sites, burial sites, shrines and cultural antiquities affected by this unfortunate development, we take solace in and console ourselves with the words of God in the Quran and in the Bible.”
The community noted that although it had commenced various litigation processes, it would abort such court actions “if favourable terms are fashioned out and agreed by all the parties and stakeholders.”
But the Idasho community made the following request:
- We propose, subject to valid agreement, that our various communities be given a facelift by the provision of road network, drainage facilities, electrification, accurate transformers and street lights, amusement park / recreation centres, police post, fire station, ambulance buses, a functional and well equipped health centre, boreholes, mini stadium, mosques and churches, modern markets on the main road side and other social amenities etc.
- We are willing to release part of our land for government use through other companies and individual, provided that we will be using our land as an-equitable participation in those companies, subject to Agreement involving our representatives or representatives of the Government of Lagos State and the companies / individual partners of Lagos State.
- We have painstakingly come to our own conclusion, knowing full well that God is all-knowing and all-doing, to contribute to the new developmental stride of Lagos State, which Your Excellency has embarked upon.
- We pray that almighty God, the omnipotent and omnipresent shall continue to guide and guard Your Excellency aright always.