Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the various stakeholders on Wednesday held an extraordinary meeting for an amicable resolution of the land dispute in Magodo Estate in Shangisha area of the state and agreed that the police officers who had laid siege in the area be withdrawn.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Shangisha Landlord Association, Magodo Residents Association, counsels to the stakeholders, and top government officials.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who spoke with newsmen shortly after the meeting held at Banquet Hall of the Lagos State Government House Ikeja, said the government would identify land within the Shangisha Estate and other parts of the state to get the 549 plots of land for the aggrieved landlords to resolve the land dispute that had lingered for over 38 years.
The governor said to this end, the committee long set up by the state government should get to work done, as from Friday, to ensure resolution of the matter.
“We have been having meetings with the various stakeholders that were involved in the Magodo land disputes, including officers and cabinet members of Lagos State government, officers and men from the office of Inspector General of Police in Abuja and the Abuja FCT Police Command representing that office, Baba Adeyiga, and his lawyer and his son, we have a board member from Magodo Residents Association, the Chairman of Magodo Residents Association and some other officers of Magodo residents association.
“We have their counsels representing the stakeholders, the various families. It has been a full house and we have all listened extensively to all parties and to all stakeholders.
“I am happy to inform gentlemen of the press that the issues had been well laid out, we are not in any disagreement or misconception around the fact that there is a Supreme Court judgment or a judgement that says that Lagos State government should give 549 plots to the Shangisha Landlord Association and all of that had been taken into context and it been resolved that the committee that the state government had set up before now should get to work immediately, meaning from Friday they will be working with the stakeholders, identifying available plots of land around Shangisha areas, drone will be flown, surveys will be made and available plots will be identified.
“In the event that available plots are identified, allocations will be made timely and additional plots if we don’t have the right numbers, that will also be identified at mutually agreeable locations with the other stakeholders,” the governor said.
“The government will also review the list of all the allottees, 549 of them and we will ensure that the injustice that the Shangisha Landlord Association had for 38 years, we will offer restitution and give them the deserved plots.
“We also agreed that there should be a de-escalation of police movement in Magodo because we have all agreed that we can resolve these things on the table amongst ourselves and the process has started and so there is no need for men of the police to come from either Abuja or wherever into Magodo residents association again and that the peace that Magodo is known for is assured,” he added.
The Shangisha Landlord Association that went to court had also been assured that in no distant future, allocation of plots of land would be given to them once a full determination of the areas had been fashioned out.
“We will all be reporting and working transparently, ensuring fairness and equity, justice is played out and we will ensure that at the end of the day that we have a win, win situation, stakeholders will be happy, residents will be happy and the government would have been seen to have done what is fair, just and equitable to all,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Fielding questions from newsmen, the Chairman, Shangisha Landlords Association, Chief Adebayo Adeyiga, said though the meeting was cordial, but quickly noted that it was just the beginning of a long process for the resolution of the dispute.
“From what has happened from the last administration, I am a little bit optimistic, not overly optimistic because I know the civil servants. When we come here now we see lots of people who did not go to court coming here and they want to hide under our judgement to get something from the government, that is for 38 years, they did not go to court, they did not file any case anywhere in the court.
“Let see what the government is going to do, I don’t know anybody other than my members who have fought with me for the past 38 years.
“I have asked my lawyer to give the governor my demands. The demand is that the remaining land there be given to the Shangisha Landlord Association. The rest, they will pay on ratification, they pay gratuity to us.
“We are not going to move to another place because these people you don’t know under the pretence they have collected another land from other people. When they put us there, that is why I rejected another relocation from the onset. I will be willing to engage with the government,” Adeyiga said.
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