DAYO AYEYEMI, in this report, looks at the struggle for hectares of land between FESTAC Town’s First Gate and Third Gate, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. For those dubbed illegal occupants, the land is about survival and they are ready to defend it with their blood. For the 200 original allottees, the wait should be over after almost 30 years of not getting any value for the money invested in the land.
THE ownership of the hectares of land between FESTAC Town’s First Gate and Third Gate, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, is not really in dispute. None of the parties in the contest for the land has disputed it belongs to a group of more than 200 allottees. However, current occupiers of the land, mostly traders, are pleading that after investing on the land, to make it habitable, there should be an official concession of the land to them and are even offering to pay, if that would make their stay on the land permanent and official. The issue has dragged on for about 30 years.
When subscribers numbering more than 200 were being given allocation papers to the large expanse of land stretching from FESTAC’s First Gate to Third Gate on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) in 1993, their joy knew no bounds.
They told Saturday Tribune the allocation was an opportunity for them to invest in residential and commercial property developments along the axis. But twenty-eight years after, the allottees are yet to take physical possession of their land, much less realise their dreams, for no fault of theirs. Instead, another set of people, ranging from mechanics to traders, auto dealers and plank sellers, took over the land, allegedly illegally, and turned it to makeshift market and homes for almost three decades while FHA’s management and the original allottees appeared helpless.
It was learnt that the situation was worsened by various litigations between the FESTAC Town Residents Association (FTRA) and the management of FHA over alleged infractions that negated the master plan of the estate.
Past attempts by the authority to dislodge the alleged illegal occupants were met with reported violent attacks on government officials until Sunday, 13 June, 2021, when officials of the federal agency, in collaboration with the task force of the Lagos State government, succeeded in dislodging the squatters after having served them several quit notices. Both the federal and state agencies said the move was in compliance with the judgment secured in 2005 which ended all litigations over the parcel of land.
Those affected by the government action are also not keeping quiet. They have taken to the streets protesting what they termed unlawful ejection, arguing that they were not given enough notice. They added that their stay on the land was not without the knowledge of the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Council authorities who they claimed collect daily fee from them.
How our long wait began –Allottees
After the sack of the illegal occupants, the original allottees are hopeful again their investment is about to yield result but the relief is being approached with caution. Now they wait on FHA to take proactive measures in clearing and surveying the land so that rightful owners can take possession of it.
“The summary of what we are saying today is that the original owners of this land cannot wait any longer. The unfortunate aspect of it is that some of our members are dead due to frustration, due to inability to take over what rightfully belonged to them. Their lands have been used over the years by illegal occupants. Ninety per cent of these people we are talking about are not even residents of FESTAC Town. There must be an end to these illegalities,” the chairman of First to Third Gate Allottees, Mr Kole Olatunji, told Saturday Tribune.
In the first significant step towards reclaiming the land for the original owners, a stakeholders meeting, organised by the Federal Housing Authority, which had in attendance representatives of FESTAC Town Residents Association, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, allottees group, residents and the Nigerian Police, took place in Lagos on Wednesday, 16 June, 2021.
Speaking at the meeting, Olatunji maintained that the land between First Gate and Third Gate of FESTAC Town was allocated between 1991 and 1993, having confirmed at that time that the land in question was meant to be a future development area.
He said: “That was why the majority of us acquired the land from FHA. But not long after the acquisition of the land, with the sincere hope of putting up structures that could serve as a major source of revenue to some of us, the transaction was bungled because of the court case instituted by the FESTAC Town Residents’ Association (FTRA) in 1993, that is, 28 years ago.
“And of course, as allottees, we could not just fold our arms; we decided to take appropriate action by reaching out to the FTRA under leadership of Chief Jola Ogunnusi and the management of FHA.
“After prolonged court litigations, we eventually resolved that there should be a Memorandum of Understanding among the allottees, FTRA and FHA, which eventually led to the consent judgment we have been talking about. And that was granted by Justice Y.A. Adesanya in November 2005, 16 years after.”
Olatunji added that the allottees saw the consent judgment as a ray of hope, believing that development was going to take place almost immediately but that was not to be.
“I have made several trips to Abuja to meet with the management of FHA with the hope of executing the term of that consent judgment, which was not to be until when the new Managing Director, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, was appointed. We met with him here and he gave the assurance that the management would look dispassionately into the case,” he said.
The allottees’ chairman expressed appreciation to God that after waiting for 30 years, they would finally be able to take over the land they paid for legitimately, saying he was a signatory to that judgment and that he signed on behalf of the allottees, in conjunction with their lawyer, Olawale Orewale Esq of O. Adekoya & Co.
Olatunji said: “The summary of what we are experiencing here now is that a delay of your legitimately earned possession may not necessarily be denial. I have watched people using my land for past 30 years. All I could do was just to hold on and pray that one day we would inherit our inheritance. That is just the beginning. “
Saturday Tribune learnt that allottees would be having a strategic meeting today (Saturday) at their secretariat at Sola Badmus & Co, Waterside Plaza, 1st Avenue, FESTAC Town.
Despite the victory of the owners, it doesn’t appear the occupants will go away quietly. Apart from their protests, especially outside the premises of the Federal Housing Authority, they have been insistent in their call for government’s intervention following the demolition of their stalls. The claims at the heart of their argument are their investments in making the land habitable and the dues they claim they have regularly been paying to Amuwo Odofin Local Government. To demonstrate their desire to continue staying on the land, the dislodged traders even offered to meet the asking price of federal authorities, instead of ejecting them.
The secretary of the Plank Sellers Association, Azeez Afolabi, speaking on behalf of the displaced traders and occupants, said: “We have been at Agboju Planks and Building Materials Market for over 27 years. We filled that place with over 1,400 tippers of sand. Suddenly, they gave us papers to leave in seven days. We are seeking assistance from the government. Let us remain there. Whatever they want, we are going to pay; we have been paying the local and state governments. We have the receipts. We seek help from the FHA to allow us to remain in that place.”
We want to restore glory of FESTAC –FG
The FHA has, however, debunked the claim that the demolition was targeted at some religious organizations that were also affected by the exercise, saying the focus was on restoring the lost glory of FESTAC Town.
Determined to rid the estate of illegal developments and various encroachments, the Managing Director of the FHA, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, vowed that the restoration exercise would be total. Ashafa, who was represented by the FHA South West Zonal Manager, Mr Akintola Olagbemiro, said the authority was committed to sustaining the ongoing efforts at returning the lost glory of FESTAC Town
Speaking at the stakeholders meeting in Lagos, Ashafa said the ongoing demolition of illegal structures in the estate would give way for dredging of a canal and dislodging of illegal occupants.
He explained that the measure was to ensure a proper survey in line with the FESTAC master plan and give possession to the real allottees.
According to him, the demolition of illegal structures was not done to spite any religious organization or group as being speculated in the media, adding that the authority, last Sunday, began the implementation of the second phase of the consent judgment, which was the clearing of illegal structures within the buffer zones along the Second Avenue as well as the expressway.
He said the FHA had earlier implemented the first phase of the judgment, which was the dredging of the canal along the buffer. This, he said, would allow the clearance of way for proper survey and development of the parcels of land along the axis, in accordance with the master plan.
“The measure is to keep the mandate of restoring the lost glory of FESTAC. Several quit notices were served on the illegal occupants before the actual demolition was carried out last Sunday
“For those who think it is business as usual, we want to inform you that we will sustain this operation until the lost glory of FESTAC is restored. No amount of blackmail will stop us from achieving this goal,” Ashafa said.
He advised those on the Right of Way with valid approvals to bring their papers to FHA to take appropriate action. Many of the stakeholders said lack of sustainable action in the past had worsened the environmental and security challenges in the community.
We support demolition but… –LG chairman
The chairman of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Mr Valentine Buraimoh, lauded the demolition but noted that the council was not informed to enable it offer advice.
He urged the federal agency to look for a way forward so that the rightful owners could move in to develop their property, with a condition stipulating they either develop the land or lose it.
Buraimoh, however, denied allegations by some protesters that the council’s leadership had been receiving revenue from the alleged illegal occupants.
We welcome original allottees –FESTAC residents
President of the FESTAC Town Residents Association, Shola Fakorede, said that if any group or stakeholder should be aggrieved over the recent development, it should be the allottees, whose property had been encroached on for almost 30 years.
“Some people have made money from their land for several years and that is why I said if we have to symphatise with anybody, it has to be the allottees. Somebody is using your land for almost 30 years without giving you a dime, it is very unfair,” he said
He urged the management of the FHA to secure the property and furnish the FTRA with information of all the allotees so they could reach out to the families of those who are dead to ensure that they take possession as a way of avoiding a repeat of the situation that led to the long delay.
He sympathised with the original allottees of the federal land which was occupied by the now-displaced illegal developers for decades, adding that he was aware that they had been fighting to reclaim their plots for close to 30 years, even after the consent judgment of 2005 was delivered in their favour.
Fakorede also asked the federal agency to assist in identifying and redistributing plots of land to families of deceased owners who were parties in the suit leading to the favourable ruling.
Insecurity, okada our major problems –FESTAC residents
Residents of the popular estate are also using the opportunity of the combined federal, state and local government attention on their community to bring to the fore the problems bedeviling them.
A resident, Victor Nwaeze, commended FHA’s latest action, pointing out that the major issues in the estate were insecurity and the menace of okada riders. He claimed that most of the illegal occupants residing in the area had no homes.
“There is no synergy among the state government, local government and the FHA. A lot of things are happening in FESTAC. There are shanties very close to roads. If you ask them, they will tell you local government officials collect money from them every day,” he said.
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