MUSLIMS in Ogun State under the auspices of Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria (ZJM) have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari; the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, over alleged plot to displace them from their land located at the Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop in Mowe, Ogun State, off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The group said the contractor handling the rehabilitation of the road intended to construct an overhead bridge on their settlement, popularly known as Islamic City, a decision the group described as an attempt to get rid of the only thriving Muslim community between the two popular churches in the axis.
The group, in the petition, signed by its president (amir), Khalifah Issa Olayiwola and secretary, Ustaz Ahmad Atanda, copies of which were made available to newsmen, explained that should the construction of the bridge go ahead as planned, it would consume their six acres of land which contains residential buildings, schools, a mosque, centres and a burial ground.
The group, in the petition entitled ‘Objection to the Construction of Interchange Design Overhead Bridge and the Grand Plan to Clandestinely Eliminate the Muslim Community of Islamic City Located along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Pakuro/Lotto Bus-Stop, Mowe, Ogun State, Nigeria’, expressed regret that attempts by the leadership of the Muslim community in the area to prevail on the contractor to correct the imbalance have proved to be abortive.
It, therefore, urged President Buhari, the leadership of the National Assembly and the Minister of Works and Housing to intervene in the matter.
The group urged Buhari, Lawan and other stakeholders to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Works and the contractor undertaking the project to ensure the preservation of the land accommodating the Muslim Community of Islamic City in whatever design of the interchange being implemented in the project.
The group said: “We write on the platform of the Muslim community known as Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria, located at the place called Islamic City along Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe, Ogun State.
“The Muslim Community of Islamic City is just one of the minority land settlements within the numerous faith-based/religious settlements along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway populated by different Christian groups such as the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the Deeper Christian Life Bible Church, the Mountain of Fire Ministry Church, to mention but a few.
“It has become imperative that we urgently bring to the attention of Your Excellency what we consider as a glaring injustice, religious oppression and intolerance and a deliberate ploy and grand design to cleverly eliminate the Muslim Community of Islamic City from their current legitimate site using the excuse of the construction of the interchange at the present location at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Mowe, Ogun State.
“We say this because the ongoing project with respect to the overhead bridge/flyover and/or interchange bridge currently being embarked upon at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Mowe, Ogun State, is one that has been shrouded in secrecy by the contractor undertaking the project.
“We the leadership of the Islamic City have seen that within the stretch of the road being reconstructed by Julius Berger between the Lagos end and the Sagamu Interchange what we have in terms of the vehicular overhead bridges are flyovers except the one being constructed and adjoining area of land settlement known as the Islamic City at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe, Ogun State.
“For example, the first vehicular overhead bridge adjoining the Mountain of Fire Ministry Church is a flyover bridge while the other ones adjoining the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) are equally flyover bridges.
“The leadership of the Islamic City was equally informed at the various stakeholders meetings at the threshold of the project that what is being designed for the stretch of the road, including the Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, are flyovers which will not have serious negative impact on the location of the various human settlements along the road project.
“Curiously, and to the amazement of all, what is currently being undertaken by the contractor at this particular location has gone beyond flyover bridge but what appears to be an interchange bridge which, if not urgently corrected, will consume the entire six acres of land of Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria and totally displace the only Muslim community settlement along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“It may interest Your Excellency to know that Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria (ZJM), under our founder, obtained her first Certificate of Occupancy over the current location of land in 1993 from the Ogun State government and the Certificate of Occupancy dated 16th June 1993 was registered as 48/48/458 at the Lands Registry Office, Abeokuta, over the parcel of the land measuring 1.446 hectares.
“The current Certificate of Occupancy over the larger parcel of land belonging to ZJM was equally issued to the founder of the Islamic City, Mohammed Jamiu Adeyemi, by the government of Ogun State following a tussle over the payment of Ground Rent that led to an alleged revocation of the first C of O over the land in 2009. The new Certificate of Occupancy over the land now measuring 2.427 hectares was issued on 15th March 2009, and it is registered as 54/54/700 (C of O) at the Lands Registry Abeokuta, Ogun State.”
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