The residents of Osbourne Foreshore Estate in Ikoyi area of Lagos state, at the weekend, took to the streets to protest against what they described as the defiance to the order of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, restraining two development companies, Lekki Gardens Estate Ltd and Foreshore Waters Ltd. from further construction within the estate premises pending the hearing and determination of a suit before the court.
The residents, wearing red shirts with the inscription ‘Save Our Souls’ on it were led by the Osbourne Foreshore Residents Association (OSFRA), bearing diverse placards with different messages to protest the seeming ‘overbuilding’ in their estate following attempts by the Lekki Gardens to build 84 housing units in the estate after 28 were allegedly originally approved by the state.
OSFRA chairman, Chinwe Ezenwa-Mbah Esq. while speaking during the protest, stated that the estate had secured a court order restraining the company and its Managing Director, Richard Nyong from further development plans.
“We are here to say enough is enough. People should build what they are approved to build. We are saying no to overbuilding. You cannot give somebody approval for 28 units and he is building 84, and Lagos state is asking us to look the other way. We’re asking Lagos state to hear us, we have been crying to them, they just ignored us (sic).
“Physical planning will come here; the next two days they came back themselves and opened it up. They told us they opened it for them (Lekki Gardens) to scale down, but instead of scaling down, they’ve been building.
“We got a court order asking Lekki Gardens to stop all work, they only obeyed the court order for only one day, the next day they issued a letter and said ‘continue working, the court does not matter, that they are the court of concurrent jurisdiction.’ I don’t know what that means in their dictionary or who is advising them,” she said.
Another resident, Hector Etomi, echoed the stance of the chairman, adding that there was a need for law and order in the estate.
He said, “We want law and order because, without law and order, we would be finished in this estate. It’s our land, it’s our building. We were allocated this land by the Federal government, and we must defend this estate. It’s a low-density estate, if you see the buildings in there, they are sinking, and they have blocked our canal.”
Ezenwa-Mbah also alleged that in defiance of the court order, Lekki Gardens said it has the judiciary and the police in check. She also referred to an incident that occurred on Thursday, where estate residents asked that workers of Lekki Gardens register before they are allowed into the premises.
She said OSFRA had complied with an original court order granting free entry and exit into the premises but wanted to ensure the company complied with the most recent judgment to halt work.
The residents have now called on the Federal Government to intervene in the matter and help prevent the estate from collapsing.
It will be recalled that Justice N. Oweibo in a ruling on July 9, 2021, had granted an interim order of injunction restraining Lekki Gardens Estate Limited and Foreshore Waters Limited by themselves or through their agents from carrying out any further construction, development or building activities on the properties situated at Block ll Plot 2, Block 7, Plot 5, Block 6, Plot 17, Block 9, Plot 23, Block 9, Plot 19, Block 6, Plot 12, Block 6, Plot 9A, Block 6, Plot 14, and Block 11, Plot 2, Signature One on Royal Palm Drive, Signature Two, Le Chateau, Insignia and Foreshore Towers on Acacia Road within the estate or any other property they are currently developing within Osbourne Foreshore Estate ll, Ikoyi, Lagos, predicated on any approvals granted by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
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