ABEOKUTA – Following the alarm raised by some communities and settlers in Itori Mogan, Laaki, Jaguna, Oguro, Paashi, Kumapayi and other adjoining villages in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State over the planned demolition of the state government through Ogun State Planning and Development Authority, the Ogun State Government has assured residents of the affected villages of maintaining law and order in the villages.
The villagers on Monday staged a peaceful protest to the governor’s office, Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta against the three days demolition notice expected to kick off on Monday on their villages.
The villagers armed with placards with inscription such as, “Governor Abiodun come to our aid,” “Don’t demolish our ancestral homes,” “Governor Abiodun don’t allow government officials to sabotage your administration” among others appealed to the governor to halt the demolition exercise and exempt their villages from the demolition exercise.
They claimed that, the affected 20 villages marked for demolition were given excision by state government in 2010.
Addressing the villagers, the Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Tpl. Tunji Odunlami the state government would passionately look into their demands and come out with an appropriate resolutions.
Odunlami maintained that, regardless of their agitation, the government will not condone any form of lawlessness by building on excision land without building permit.
He warned that anyone who build outside the excision allotted land, would have to stop immediately and ratify such with the government.
He urged the community to come forward with all relevant excision documents that exempted them from government acquisition to determine the veracity of their claim.
“Yeah, we are looking at the request, and we have assured them that this government is going to look passionate at their request, and then we’re going to have a very good resolution to all the matters they have raised.
“The law is made to be obeyed. There is an extant law of Ogun state that says that, if you must build, you must take permit. So, if you wishfully go against the law, then the law will take its course.
“Like I said, this government is a very magnanimous government. Will look at every case on its merit and decide on what will happen. But the truth is that you are not supposed to develop a land in Ogun state without obtaining permits.
“Moreso, when you are now building outside the excision, that means you are building on government committed land, and government you know, will not really look at it in a good way.”
