The Institution management employed a model by which a registration portal for the regularisation of encroached land of the university would be resolved.
According to the university’s official bulletin, the affected illegal occupants were expected to pay a registration fee of N100, 000 which would be deducted from the total regularisation charge.
According to the statement:“The regularisation fees will be calculated based on the land size, type of building and building use-commercial or private.
“Also, note that compliance deadline is April 30, first penalty phase is May 1 to June 30, with 25 per cent increase in the regularisation fee, with final penalty phase is July 1 to September 30, by which there will be an increment of 50 per cent in the regularisation fee,” it said.
The university also warned that any property not registered by September 30 would be repossessed. “Following the regularisation exercise, Annual Land Use Charges and Rental Fees are payable to the Lagos State Government and LASU respectively,” it added.
In a statement signed by SAI Coordinator, Comrade Sule Adekunle, while commending the university for its ‘magnanimity and civilised’ way it employed in addressing the problem of encroachment on its landed property, said in the face of housing shortage in Lagos State, “it’s preposterous for government to demolished over 200 houses in one fell swoop.”
“It’s disheartening that the affected properties were owned mostly by retired old men and women, the artisans, farmers and traders, who spent virtually all their financial resources in erecting those houses”, Adekunle lamented.
Findings by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the land in question was excised for agricultural purposes by the old Western Region government, but currently managed by Lagos State Agric Holdings Company, a subsidiary of Lagos State Ministry for Agriculture.
According to the findings, the entire land mass that was put at more than 350 hectres was divided amongst four entities, namely; the Ministry of Agriculture, Lagos State Development Property Corporation (LSDPC), Ministry for Housing and the identified families, based on ownership verification.
According to a competent source in Lagos State Agric Holdings, the division of the land was sanctioned during the administration of former Governor, Bola Tinubu, when the Ministry for Agriculture protested against the LSDPC’s incursion.
“The matter created a lot of confusion as LSDPC occupied part of the land for its service scheme, which people subscribed to. Meanwhile, Housing Ministry, taking a cue from LSDPC, also made incursion into the land.
“To avoid undue rivalry, being all government agencies, Governor Tinubu waded into the matter and the land was allotted to the concerned stakeholders, but surprisingly, some families after exhausting their land encroached the one belonging to Agric Holding, whom upon several warnings and notices, continued selling the land to unsuspected public, who bought the land without the necessary investigation”, said the competent source, who requested anonymity.
Although Nigerian Tribune learnt that the affected property owners had appealed to the Lagos House of Assembly, and also gone further by approaching the court for compensation.
But one of the affected property owners, Alhaji Lamidi Edun, said they have document that emanated from the LSDPC, authenticates the corporation as the legitimate owner.
“We have tabled our case with the Lagos State Assembly to look into the matter. but in the absence of any meaningful solution, we will head for court,” he said.
Besides, it was also leant from one of the traditional had gone to court, but that some individuals in government are making overtures to them to find an amicable solution to the matter.
But in all, the NGO insisted that it’s against international convention to retort to demolition of already occupied homes, except if there are verifiable natural disaster that may be inimical to lives and property.
and then