Interview

How we lost properties, livelihoods in 11 years over Oyo-Ogbomoso road dualisation —Victims

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3 years ago

For many residents and structure owners along the stretch of the Oyo-Ogbomoso axis of Oyo State, it has been eleven years of loss, heartache and growing apprehension since the commencement of the dualisation of the Oyo-Ogbomoso section of the Ibadan-Ilorin new expressway.

They had converged on Wednesday and protested the refusal of the Federal Government to pay them over N2.8billion balance of their compensation since 2011. The affected property owners converged on a facility at Ajilete community, Gambari, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State and appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to ensure the payment of the balance of their compensation.

A prepared speech, endorsed by the trio of Lekan Ajagbe, Tijani Abdulrasheed,and Princess Grace Bello, was read on the occasion, on behalf of owners of structures and crops affected along Oyo- Ogbomoso (Route A2), Section II of Ibadan-Ilorin road dualisation project.

In the speech, read by Princess Bello, the affected people alleged that it was the deliberate intension of the Federal Ministry of Works to frustrate payment of compensation to them.

The affected people also said a document released by the Federal Ministry of Works revealed that the ministry has obtained approval for the payment of compensation to them four times, adding that the first approval was N334,421,163.40 and the whole amount was released as part payment for the compensation . They said the same thing happened when second approval of N2,028,590,717.90, was obtained, as the whole amount was used to pay part of the compensation.

They argued that while some claimants had received the appropriate compensation, many of them were yet to do so.

“We seize this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) via its approval of MEMO EC (2021) 248 to invest in the reconstruction of selected on-going Federal roads under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure Development & Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme from the NNPC. It is in the public domain that all necessary compensation including other expenses were taken care of in NNPC’s funding and all the listed projects are to pay outstanding expenses. Notwithstanding the provision of fund (including payment of compensation), for reasons best known to the Honourable Minister for the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, his Ministry decided to single out compensation from being paid to the Project Affected People (PAP) along Oyo-Ogbomoso Road project. That is the reason why, out of deep frustration that we are gathered here today to express our displeasure to the attitude of the Federal Government of Nigeria, through its Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, for not paying us compensation for the portion of structures and crops that were affected by the dualization exercise of Oyo-Ogbomosho Road construction.

“As law abiding citizens, who are receptive to the growth and development of every sector of the economy, we are not averse to this laudable project which is aimed at bringing respite to motorists and reduce the accident rate on this hitherto deadly road. However, our grouse with the government particularly the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is its attitude and the political rigmarole being employed in paying compensation to the remaining affected persons along Oyo-Ogbomoso Road,” the statement read in part.

The statement further stated that the “ grand total of compensation claim is N4, 881, 901, 765.68. Amount paid so far is N2,019,887,275.38; while the outstanding balance is put at N2, 862, 014, 490.30.”

Some of the victims decried their current realities just as they called on the Federal Government to, among other things, ensure the “immediate payment of outstanding compensation to structure and crops owners along Oyo-Ogbomoso road project. Immediate reversal of the two memos which purportedly emanated from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing directing stoppage of compensation by its Ministry and transferring such function to state government of which the state government is not privy to. Payment of interest accruing on the compensation sum from 2011 till date at bank rate as provided in the Land Use Act, Cap L5, LFN, 2004.”

In his appeal, one of the victims, Johnson Ayoola Iretiayo, stated that “I live at Sooro, Oke Sabo, Oyo. For many of us, we have lost our buildings following the Federal Government’s dualisation of the road. They promised us compensation. We have been waiting for this compensation. Many of us have died while waiting for the compensation. The suffering has not stopped. We are pleading with the Federal Government to have mercy on us so that the rest of us will not die the way others did.”

For Sarah Aderounmu, another claimant: “I live at Sabo, Oyo. We lost so many plantations, cash crops and various properties as a result of the dualisation. The Federal Government had gone into an agreement with us that we would be compensated. How then would the government then say that it is now the responsibility of the Oyo State government to pay us the compensation? It is sad. We are Nigerians and our rights should be respected.”

David Oladayo Alakasu painted a pathetic picture of the situation: “I live in Ogbomoso. The dualisation of the road is a good thing but it should not be a burden to us. We have lost so much. Some of them got compensated while many of us are yet to get anything. We are pleading with the government to give us our money. The houses have been marked since 2011; some have been demolished. People no longer rent our houses because of the situation. We have also lost farmlands.”

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