Features

Ogun Lotto Interchange Bridge: Anxiety as owners of 1,000 houses marked for demolition seek FG’s compensation

Published by

3 years ago

Apart from the pain of losing their houses, residents of Ogun State’s Ogunrun Ori Community, at Mowe, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway are not really opposed to the Lotto Interchange project, which is for the overall interest of the larger populace, if the Federal Government is ready to pay adequate compensation. DAYO AYEYEMI reports that what they are protesting against is the move by the Ogun State government to take over the role of compensation for the affected building owners from the federal authority.

For over 1,000 landlords in Ogunrun Ori Community in Obafemi-Owode Local Council of Ogun State, whose buildings have been marked for demolition, having fallen on the alignments of the ongoing Lotto Interchange Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the proposed infrastructure that is supposed to be the gain of motorists has suddenly turned to a source of worry in the area.

Also, their hope of getting adequate compensation from the Federal Government via the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, the sponsor of the project, is currently hanging in the balance as the Ogun State government has stepped in.

Apart from the fear of losing their houses, many of the landlords, who are in their 60s and 70s are currently confused and devastated over what would become their fate after losing their place of abode and life investment to the new interchange bridge.

When Nigerian Tribune visited the affected community on Monday, many of the residents expressed their minds, saying they were not happy with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for reneging on its earlier promise that it would pay affected building owners adequate compensation to facilitate their relocation.

The residents, especially landlords are calling the Federal Government to fulfill its promise of compensating owners of over 1000 houses marked for demolition at both sides of the Lotto Interchange along the expressway.

Some of the streets/estates affected include Divine Mercy Estate, Ogunrin Street, Kehinde Street, His Grace Estate, Olowo Street, Leko and Araromi Streets, among others. The project also affects other communities such as Pakuro, Shimawa, Lukosi, Gbegbira and others.

Speaking in an emotion-laden voice, one of the landladies, Alhaja Mulikat Adeoti, who is in her late sixties and resides at No 8, Divine Mercy Street, told Nigerian Tribune that “Things are not okay at all because we have no place to go from here. The government should come to our aid and reduce the negative impact of the ongoing interchange bridge project. If not, government should give us enough compensation. We have no alternative. Since the government marked my house for demolition, I have lost weight and nobody to help.”

Another landlady, who identified herself simply as Mrs Adebanjo, 62, stated that “We want the government to help us; we have no other place to go. We are retirees; we no longer earn money. The government should help us.”

She explained that the new source of worry in the entire community is the intervention of the state government that is asking residents to present their documents – Certificates of Occupancy, survey plan and other papers knowing full well that “they did not give us C of O.”

Chairman, Divine Mercy Estate Community Development Area, Pastor Gbokiki Sunday, said that “Because of this project, many landlords have come down with stroke. Some are on sickbeds and 20 of them are already dead. We want the Federal Government to pay us compensation, while Ogun State government should stop asking us for any paper.”

At a rally held last Sunday against the move, the community requested that the Federal Government take up the full responsibility of compensating the affected house owners. Giving the background, the chairman of Pakuro Area Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr. Anthony Omoloso, told Nigerian Tribune on Monday, that they had already held several meetings with officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, including the minister, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, where issues of adequate compensation for the marked houses were discussed before the sudden turn of event.

IN CASE YOU MISSED THESE FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

According to him, “We held the first and second meetings even a stakeholders’ meeting with Fashola in attendance, but all of a sudden, since September last year, when the minister came for on-the-spot assessment of the project with Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, officials of Ogun State Ministry of Physical Planning have started remarking our houses afresh and are asking for building approvals from us. During that inspection, the Federal Controller of Works, Olukayode Poopola told them that works would have gone beyond that limit, but slowed down due to evaluation and compensation issues. He repeated it about four times before Fashola asked the governor if he was going to provide land for the project and Abiodun consented.

“Afterwards, we have been seeing officials of the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, marking our houses again. That is why we said no; we cannot allow them, because if they start marking again, it means that we are going to be served contravention notices for our buildings, structures and houses.

“That is why we came out to do a mini-rally to bring government’s attention to the alleged takeover of the Federal Government’s compensation’s role by the Ogun State government. We have no problem with them; but the important thing is for the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works and Housing to compensate us adequately knowing well that most of the buildings were built when a bag of cement was sold for N500. Now, it is almost N5, 000. Iron rod of 12 mm that was sold for N800 is now between N4,000 and N5,000. You can see the astronomical increase of these materials.”

Omotosho appealed to the Federal Government to do the needful, saying “we embrace the development but the community is asking that the Federal Government should be the one compensating the affected building owners and not the Ogun authority.”

But Director, Highway, South-West, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Adedamola Kuti, said the ceding of the compensation process to the Ogun State government was in response to Land Use Act, which vested all powers on land to the state governors.

“Any time we want to work, we ask the state governments there to give us the Right-of-Way for us to work and go. We are not asking for land but a right of way to work. So, it is the responsibility of the state and we have submitted all the relevant things we have promised. We are waiting for the state government. If you are looking for any information about land and those residing in the state, you go to the state and not the federal.

“So all information resides in the state and the state government will look at the true owners and deal with them. Ours is just to give us the right of way; we are not going to deal with anybody’s land. That is our stance,” he said.

Kuti emphasised that the Federal Government used to pay compensations but the government›s decision is that the land belongs to the state and any state government that wants the Federal Government to construct road in their domain must give the Federal Government the right of way.

“It is as simple as that. On the smooth completion, we will continue our work while the thing is being resolved. This is not only on Lotto, it is a nationwide thing. Some governments are already cooperating. We will continue our work on the main carriageway pending the time this matter is resolved,” he said.

Chairman, Ogunrun Ori CDA, Akande Olawale, who claimed to have been living in the community for more than 15 years, appealed to the government to reduce the negative impact of the ongoing interchange bridge project on the residents, requesting that adequate compensation should be paid to owners of affected buildings.

Another landlord, Mr Fagboro, corroborated earlier speakers, urging the government to consider the cost of building materials and compensate owners of affected properties adequately.

Chief Jubril Olamilekan, another resident told Nigerian Tribune that “We are not against development but the scope of the project should be reduced to save our old town. With what is going on, government wants to erase our town from existence. We have existing roads; government can make use of these roads in order to reduce the negative impacts of the interchange bridge on our town. The people affected should be adequately compensated,” Olamilekan said.