- Seeks Sanwo-Olu’s intervention
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Lagos Council has lamented the demolition of a workshop affiliated with one of its member unions, Amalgamated Union of Motor Mechanics and Technicians of Nigeria (AUOMMATON) at Otumara Community, Ebute Metta by some government officials.
The NLC is demanding a return or re-allocation for those affected and a thorough investigation. The union is also calling for compensation for the affected union and its members.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the Chairman, NLC Lagos Council,Comrade Funmi Sessi, said the union viewed the demolition as an attack on the rights and interests of workers and a violation of labour laws.
She said the livelihood of those affected had been affected as they have no place to carry out their businesses.
The land, situated at Otumara Community in Costain Ebute-Metta Lagos, according to Sessi, was allocated and granted to the union(AUOMMATON) for use as mechanic workshops by the late governor Lateef Kayode Jakande on September 21,1980.
She said: “On 11th February, 2025 the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) served a contravention notice on the Otumara Communities in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area and when they got to the location of our mechanic workshops, we tendered relevant documents to show them that we are not illegal occupants and the place was allocated to us by the Lagos State Government, then the LASBCA personnel moved away and continued posting the notices on other location.
“However, on the 18th day of February, 2025, the personnel of the Ministry of Physical and Urban Planning came to issue a two-day vacation notice on the Otumara Communities and when they got to our workshops, we showed them our relevant allocation documents issued by the Lagos State Government and they left.
Read Also: NLC, TUC, others bicker over construction secretariat in Bayelsa
“Regrettably, on Friday 7th of March 2025, some groups of people (hoodlums) and officers suspected to be Lagos State security personnel and private interest claiming to be acting on the instructions of the Ministry of Physical and Urban Planning came with bulldozers to demolish our workshops but to our surprise these persons were violent and vicious. Our plea to them that our workshops was not part of the places marked for demolition fell on deaf ears and with the help of their security forces, we were chased away with dangerous weapons and our means of livelihood was demolished.
“We believed that this nefarious act on our government-allocated workshops was done in bad faith as these people hid under the cover of the demolition of the Otumara Communities to carry out these unlawful and satanic acts on our hard earned properties.”
Sessi, however, called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene as those affected are suffering with their families.