Ambode allays fear of LASU-Ojo community on demolition

LAGOS State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday assured people of Ojo community in the Ojo Local Government area of the state that his administration would not demolish their properties despite their encroachment into the land belonging to the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.

This governor gave this assurance during a stakeholders meeting that the state government organised between the authority of LASU and the affected communities towards an amicable resolution of the matter.

Governor Ambode, who was represented at the meeting by his deputy, Dr Oluranti Adebule, stated that his administration right from the inception had been running a government with a human face and would continue to place top priority on the interest of members of the public that elected him into the office.

While noting that it was painful that the innocent landlords were deceived by land speculators popularly called Omo onile to encroach on the land belonging to the Lagos State University, (LASU), the governor said his administration would prefer amicable resolution of the crisis in the best way that would favour both the affected landlords and LASU management.

According to him, his administration was not ready to implement any policy that would bring hardship to the people, despite the fact that available documents on land administration in the state clearly indicated that many landlords in the area had encroached into government lands through the deceit of land speculators.

“Despite the fact that available documents on land administration in the state clearly indicated that the lands in question, both left and right are acquisition, many landlords in the Ojo area of the state have encroached into government lands through the deceit of land speculators, government will not because of its power bring bulldozers here to demolish your houses, because you are all our family members.

“Remember you voted us into power and we are to represent your interest. Our government will not do anything that will bring hardship to any member of the public, rather we will go for an amicable resolution that will promote peace and harmony in our communities,” Ambode assured.

The governor, while explaining that government White Paper on the matter would soon be made public knowledge through its agency on land administration, assured that as a listening government, the three demands put across to it would be taken into consideration while taking a decision on the matter in the interest of peace.

The three demands/request made by the landlords, who spoke through their spokesperson and the Baale of Igbo Elerin town, Alhaji Aina Taofeek were: that government should consider their poor economic condition while determining what to pay for the lands to government as the original landowners, that they would want to be tenant to the Lagos State government and not LASU, that every discussion on the land should be between the Lagos State government and the landlords but not LASU; that they would want to cooperate and abide only by the Lagos state government policy on the matter and not LASU.

Earlier in his welcome address, LASU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, noted that the earlier meeting organised by the university authority was not well attended as many landlords did not turn up which he noted was the reason why another meeting was rescheduled as a way of finding an amicable solution to the problem.

He said though the university had been in existence for years and people had encroached into its land, that did not mean that the university authority cannot come together with the concerned landlords and resolve the matter amicably, adding that the beauty of democracy is that everybody is giving the freedom to express his or her own opinion on every matter.

In his own remarks, Special Adviser to governor Ambode on education Obafela Bank Olemoh, whose office oversees tertiary education matters, said government as a responsible institution has called the meeting so that everyone would come to the round table and make a joint decision that would promote public peace and confidence in government.

He said Governor Ambode led administration is noted for its all-inclusive governance, adding that government had considered every stakeholder to be very important in major decision making that affects peace and stability in the state.Lagos moves against bureaucracy, complacency among civil servants

ALSO READ:

He said Governor Ambode led administration is noted for its all-inclusive governance, adding that government had considered every stakeholder to be very important in major decision making that affects peace and stability in the state.