The Nation Newspaper

Tag: demolition

  • Demolition: ‘Fayose turned us to refugees in our land’

    Residents of Ijoka community in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, have accused former Governor Ayodele Fayose of turning them to refugees with the demolition of their property by the former administration.

    They claimed that their houses were demolished without prior notice.

    Majority of them said they were not paid compensation while the few compensated were given peanuts that were said to be far below the values of the structures the former government pulled down.

    According to them, Fayose allegedly destroyed their ancestral buildings where certain traditional rites were performed.

    The Ado-Ekiti indigenes claimed that the demolition had negative effects on their tradition and custom.

    The Ijoka elders and other residents, who were led by the Elejoka, Chief Lawrence Omodara, expressed their grievances during a visit to Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi.

    The community leaders said some of the home owners died from the shock that resulted from the demolition.

    They sought the assistance of the government for compensation, adding that their demand for compensation from Fayose did not materialise before he left office on October 15.

    One of the community leaders Mr. Joseph Fagbuaro said Fayose gave them several appointments to meet on the compensation, which the ex-governor did not honour until his tenure expired.

    He alleged that the demolition of the buildings had rendered many residents, especially the aged, despondent and destitute, as they had resorted to moving from one rented apartment to the other.

    Fagbuaro said: “Truly, what happened to us in Ijoka under the last administration was not proper. It was about 5 o’clock in the evening that former Governor Fayose started demolishing our houses; he destroyed our property and our ancestral homes where we used to perform traditional rites during some festivals in Ado-Ekiti without notifying us, without discussing it with anyone what he (Fayose) wanted to use the houses or the land to do.

    “We appreciate you (the deputy governor) for granting us audience. All attempts to make our plight known to the government during Fayose’s regime were unsuccessful. He gave us appointments several times but failed to attend to us.

    “Some of us went to the farm, and before we returned, our buildings had been pulled down.

    “Please, help us. Some people have died because they had nowhere to go when their houses were demolished. It is not all of us who have children that built houses. Some keep renting houses. Imagine somebody of my age, 73 years, just going about to rent a house.

  • Ayefele sues Oyo govt over demolition

    •Court orders service of processes on Oyo govt
    •Protesters storm Fresh FM building

    Popular musician and Chief Executive Officer of a private radio station, Fresh FM 109.5 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Yinka Ayefela, has sued the state government for its planned demolition of his Music House, the building housing the radio station.

    The building is located on the Lagos-Ibadan by-pass in Challenge area of Ibadan.

    The government marked the building for demolition for allegedly contravening the state’s planning laws.

    But Ayefele, in a statement on Wednesday, said the demolition notice was a witch-hunt.

    He sued the government at a State High Court in Ibadan, seeking an order restraining the government from demolishing the property, pending the determination of the suit.

    In an ex parte motion, Ayefele’s lawyer Olayinka Bolanlen said due process was followed in the construction of the structure.

    The lawyer said approvals were obtained from the state’s relevant departments and agencies.

    But Justice Iyabo Yerima ordered the claimant to ensure service of the court process on the respondent.

    The judge held that there were “serious issues to be determined” in the suit filed.

    She adjourned the matter till August 20 for hearing of the ex parte motion.

    Also, a crowd of sympathisers and Fresh FM fans yesterday besieged the station in solidarity with the popular musician.

    Carrying placards with various inscriptions, such “Obey rule of law”; “Fresh FM must stand”, among others, the protesters pleaded with the state government to shelf the demolition plan.

    They praised the station as a “credible source of up-to-date information” on developments in the country and the state.

     

  • Rail: 1,000 homes free from demolition

    •Amosun: we’ve spent N8b on compensation

    THe rail station initially proposed for the Papalanto community in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, will now be sited at the Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (M.K.O) Abiola Trade Fair Complex in Abeokuta, the capital, to better serve the people and businesses.

    The review and the proposed site was predicated on the need to save over 1,000 houses, which fall on the right-of-way.

    Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who spoke in Abeokuta during a visit to the site, said hotels and malls would be built in addition to the rail station.

    He said: “We are working well with the Ogun State government as well as Lagos State government. But there are more problems in Lagos State as a result of its cosmopolitan status. It is almost the same problems we have met in Abeokuta as a result of its cosmopolitan status.

    “But, the problems in Abeokuta are not gas and petroleum pipes. In fact, the land we have acquired for the project appears to have been overtaken by the people who are building houses on it. But then, we have made a decision to move to other locations. We believe we should relocate to a better place for business, people and passengers. That is where we are going to now (MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex).

    “What you can see is that we have relocated the station to a conducive place where the demolition of a number of houses will be reduced by more than 1,000. Even when the governor saw the number of houses to be demolished, he fought.

    “So, we have agreed to relocate it to MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex. Now, this is where the station will be. We are building a rail station, a hotel and malls.”

    Also, Governor Ibikunle Amosun hailed the Federal Government’s wisdom to save thousands of houses on the rail’s right-of-way.

    Amosun noted that his administration does not demolish people’s property because of construction, but only when there are no alternatives.

    The governor said N8 billion was spent on compensation to owners of houses.

    According to him, N14 billion will be paid as compensation on demolished property.

    Amosun said: “We met there and we took some decisions together to demolish over 1,000 houses. But I said this would not happen under our watch. Yes, we demolish when we don’t have any alternatives. But this one is a no.

    “That’s what I’ve said on behalf of 7.2 million good people of Ogun State. For instance, in Ogun State, we have to pay about N14 billion on demolition. We have paid in excess of N8 billion by way of compensation.

    “We are now demolishing MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex. But the good news is that we are relocating it to a better place. We are going to put it in another place to avoid demolishing almost 2,000 houses.

    “Imagine the number of families and people the demolition will affect. So, we have said no. They will now create engineering solution here. The trade fair complex will now be our rail station: Abeokuta Rail Station.”

     

  • Okowa orders demolition of illegal structures

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has ordered the demolition of privately-owned homes sited within the perimeter fencing of Asaba Airport.

    He spoke while inspecting resurfacing of the runway and other ancillary work, to ensure the contractors delivered as promised in May.

    Okowa said owners of such buildings with relevant documents would be compensated, adding that the focus is to ensure safety at the airport.

    He said: “We need to determine the perimeter of the airport to know where our land ends.

    “We need to look at the buildings close to the airport if they have approvals and if they have no approvals, the buildings will be demolished.

    “I have asked the commissioner for Lands and Survey to take inventories for us to take action.

    “If the owners of the buildings have documents, they will be compensated because, what is foremost in our mind is safety.”

    The governor hailed the  work done at the airport, saying the contractor was working to beat the five-week deadline.

    “The contractor is right on course. He will deliver before the deadline.

    “We are concentrating on the runway, which must be of international standard. We are confident that we will get one of the best in the country.

    “I’m happy with the pace of work,” he said.

    The Project Manager, Setraco Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Jihad Yaghi, thanked the governor for encouraging the company to speed up delivery of the project.

    He noted that everybody is ensuring that the job is completed on schedule and according to specification.

    The Airport Special Project Director, Mr. Austin Ayemidejor, who took the governor and his team round the site, said the contractor would deliver the project before the deadline and to specification.

  • Demolition: Ekiti community seeks compensation

    Aggrieved residents of Ijoka community, Ekiti State have called on Governor Ayodele Fayose to look into their plight resulting from the demolition of their houses for road construction.

    Addressing reporters in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of Westport Hotel, Lagos, Mr. Oseni Rasaki said no fewer than 142 houses were demolished by the state government.

    He noted that most of the houses belong to senior citizens, retirees and widows whose livelihood were tied to the properties, stressing that it had thrown the community into deplorable situation.

    Rasaki added that the demolition took place when negotiation with government was ongoing. He said the houses were pulled down before the 21 days ultimatum by the government.

    He said: “The people have been subjected to serious agony and hardship following the demolition of their houses. The occupants of the houses are mainly retirees, the aged and widows.

    “We acknowledged the government  plans to develop the town, this has resulted in grave pain for the people. Government programme is meant for living people.

    “We are calling on the government to come to the aid of the people by compensating them for their losses. We don’t want to put the blame on anybody, but we would appreciate government’s prompt intervention by compensating the victims.”

    He said IJoka community had become a shadow of itself, noting that visitors to the rustic town would easily observe that the residents were wailing over the demolition.

    “Although the community was earlier notified of government’s intention on the proposed road project, negotiation was ongoing among concerned parties when Ijoka was thrown into pandemonium.

    “The demolition came up less than 21 days before the expiration of the deadline. I must say it has affected the victims. Most of them may not recover from this huge loss. The irony of it is that most of the owners of the structures are senior citizens who are no longer in active service.

    “I’m urging the government on behalf of these displaced people, to rise up to its duty by ensuring that the people have access to good life, security and all the protection they deserve.

    “Some of them have been incapacitated from the shock they suffered due to the demolition exercise. I urge the government to rehabilitate them by compensating those whose properties were demolished. This will enable them to find another means of livelihood and survival,”he said.

     

     

  • Fayose, Ewi row over demolition in Ado-Ekiti

    Residents of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, led by their monarch, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, are angry with Governor Ayodele Fayose for demolishing houses in the city.

    The residents have been trooping to the palace of the monarch to register their displeasure about how their properties were demolished without any prior notice.

    Home owners claimed that the recent demolition was not done with a human face.

    They said many of the houses were brought down with their belongings inside.

    The Ewi invited Fayose to his palace at the weekend and expressed the disapproval of his subjects with the latest demolition.

    The governor reportedly got angry at the meeting and vowed to continue demolishing houses as part of his administration’s urban renewal policy.

    Oba Adejugbe was quoted to have said that Ado-Ekiti residents were not happy that the government did not inform them about the demolition before their homes were brought down for a market extension and a road project.

    Areas affected include Okeyinmi, Oke Ila, Ijoka and residential areas within the market vicinity.

    The Hausa in the Sabo area had been displaced.

    But the Ewi, his chiefs and subjects got more than what they bargained for when Fayose said nobody could stop him from the demolition.

    The governor said it would be continuous.

    Fayose reportedly promised to demolish the shops in the front of the palace and more houses in the city to pave way for his urban renewal project.

    The governor vowed not to honour any royal summons on the demolition saga.

    The footage of the encounter has since gone viral on various social media platforms and has been generating interest within and outside the state.

    In the video, Fayose does not hide his anger towards Oba Adejugbe’s remarks on public outrage on the demolition.

    The Ewi says: “The issue of urban renewal is sensitive. We had anticipated that this will happen and that was why we wrote a letter. You were at the glass shop over there when we said it was likely that houses would be demolished. But we said we should all sit down and be carried along before such houses would be demolished.

    “We know that you are doing your work and we cannot say you should not do your work. But my subjects have been coming to the palace to complain that their structures were being demolished without prior notice. One of them complained that he went to work and the house was demolished with all his belongings inside before he returned. That is the issue.

    “People have been coming here and they have not allowed us to rest. That of Ijoka was the most serious. That is why I said it is compulsory I see you (Fayose), that we should discuss together. We cannot say you should not do your work because we will understand the matter on the ground better in another 20 years.

    “I don’t want you to say that ‘when I wanted to do my job, the Ado-Ekiti people said I should not do my work’. What we are saying is that all of us will sit down together – whatever work you want to do – those to be affected will know ahead of time. Imagine a situation in which somebody goes to work and his house is demolished before he returns.”

    But an irate Fayose, who looks agitated while the Ewi is making his remark, fires back: “Kabiyesi, your position that we should not demolish houses, don’t say that at all; don’t say that again. Please, don’t bring that matter out again! Excuse me, sir! Let us ask for the truth from ourselves. Go out there. We have houses that have been there since 19-something.

    “Those houses are there, but the owners are no longer there. Many of them are living in the GRA, others are residing in America. What they do is that they will create shops out of those dilapidated buildings and they will be collecting rents on them at the end of the month.

    “I want you to know today that I will continue to demolish houses. Let me make it clear to you today. I wanted to extend the demolition to Atikankan; you were the one that prevented me. I wanted it demolished up to Atikankan.

    “At the spot where the demolition stopped, that one is a comma. Invite those house owners and tell them that those houses that serve as hideouts for phone snatchers and bag snatchers will be demolished.

    “We need relative peace. Can we remain in this condition forever? If this palace had remained the same condition you inherited it from your forefathers, who had reigned before you, are we going to have the opportunity of staying in this place? I just came here to honour you today. That is why I am here.

    “That dual carriageway is going through Oke Ila, across like this. Anybody who has structures along that way will have to endure. That is the Panadol everybody will have to take in a time like this. It is God Who stands by somebody; nobody should use the forthcoming election to intimidate me.

    “That Baba said the market is not part of it. Who told you that it is inside the market that demolition takes place? Those structures in front of the palace, I will demolish them. This palace should not be here and all that rubbish is allowed to be there. I want to complete that market in the first week of July, by God’s grace.

    “Everybody who is holed up in those structures should go inside the market so that I can tidy up the frontage of the palace. That will be in honour of my name forever.

    “There is no time we will not fight, but wherever somebody has to go, he will go there. Those who are yet to be compensated will be compensated. I am already processing their compensation. We have done the enumeration and whatever those affected are supposed to get an amount of money, they will get it.

    “That I will not demolish houses, I cannot guarantee that. I also want to tell Kabiyesi that I will not answer this kind of invitation again because I am busy working. I don’t want to be treated any less than the office of the governor that I represent. I don’t want to be so treated.

    “Excuse me, sir. You may not like what I want to tell you: till the morning of the day that I will leave office in this Ado, when you will be saying Fayose ‘bye bye’, I will work till that day. It is not because of you but because of me and my life. Kabiyesi, this is not a matter to be angry about it.”

  • Anger at Senate over demolition of house

    Anger at Senate over demolition of house

    SENATORS were angry yesterday over the demolition of a house belonging to the Senator representing Kaduna North, Suleiman Hunkuyi, by the state government.

    Senator Shehu Sani told his colleagues that Governor Nasir El-Rufai allegedly led a team of soldiers and policemen to 11, Sambo Road, Kaduna to demolish a house belonging to Hunkuyi.

    Sani noted that it had become obvious that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State “cannot accommodate somebody who has the tendencies of Adolf Hitler, Mobutu Sese Seko and Nebuchadnezzar.”

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided, said that Sani’s report was not open to debate.

    Ekweremadu said, “This is not open to debate. We need to condemn this action. I send my sympathies to Hukunyi. This democracy has no place for tyranny and impunity. If we decide to go on the road of democracy, we must accept some of the things that come with it. One is the rule of law. If we have any grievances, we should use the courts.

    “This is why some Nigerians are opposed to the issue of immunity for public office holders. I think that this is something we need to watch. As we approach 2019 general elections, we must appeal to politicians not to overheat the polity and imperil our democracy. I hope this should be the last. Our courts can be trusted to deliver justice. We hope this will not happen again.”

    Sani told the Senate: “I stand to formally report something. As early as 4am on Tuesday, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State led a team of soldiers and policemen to Number 11, Sambo Road in the state. He supervised the demolition of our new APC office. The said property belongs to Senator Suleiman Hukunyi (Kaduna North).

    “This is coming one year after the same governor demolished a house belonging to the vice chairman of APC in North West, Abdulkadir. This is a series of brigandage and tyranny carried out by the governor against opposition voices.

    “Governor El-Rufai is an affliction on the Kaduna State. He is a curse to us. We want to call on Buhari to caution his son. If this crisis is not nipped in the bud, it will grow into something bigger. We in Kaduna State cannot accommodate somebody who has the tendencies of Adolf Hitler, Mobutu Sese Seko and Nebuchadnezzar.”

    Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Sen. Hunkuyi described the demolition as “bizarre, rare and unimaginable decisions”.

    “My property, which doubles as the state APC office in Kaduna is part of my contribution to the party; the structure of leadership of the party has been brought down.

    “This action was carried out with his supervision. I have no case, I have forgiven him as a person. I am not joining issues with him, and he is my brother.

    “There are concurrent issues that go with his act. What will he be doing at the site at that time of the day?

    “To me, if the intention is to shut Hunkuyi down, it has given me more reason to believe and stand strongly with majority of the electorate. This should not have happened but it has happened. Let that be an incident for growth of democracy in my constituency.

    “Should I bear the consequences of bringing him to leadership? Is it too much price to pay? People like that have no business in executive position.”

  • Community decries demolition by Navy

    Community decries demolition by Navy

    A community in Oluti, Amuwo Kuje area of Lagos has decried the demolition exercise by men of the Nigerian Navy.

    The community said two persons were missing after the exercise.

    Those whose houses were not affected by the demolition exercise are jittery as the Naval officers promised to come back.

    Andrew Uviase said seven people have been hospitalised as no notice was given to them before the exercise was carried out.

    Uviase said people went to work and came back home to see their houses demolished.

    He said: “The naval officers came with their bulldozer armed with guns and started demolishing peoples’ houses. Some people were too shock to see what happened to their houses and fainted.”

    Condemning the development, the Alamuwo of Amuwo Kuje, Oba Isaac Olayemi said the community has petitioned both the Police and the Navy.

    He also said that if the matter was not resolved amicably, they will go to court to seek redress.

    Lieutenant Commander Priscilla Iyorivbe of the Nigerian Navy in Navy Town refuted that claims of missing persons, saying nobody was touched.

    She explained that residents of the affected area were encroaching on Navy land and the authority had to do the needful.

  • Tension in Kwara communities over alleged demolition

    There is tension in Offa and Erin-Ile communities of Kwara State following the alleged demolition of two buildings belonging to Offa indigenes.

    It was gathered that the buildings, at Oloruntedo community in Egunkara, on Igosun Road, were demolished last Wednesday.

    The sister communities had, in the last 20 years, engaged in violent clashes resulting in loss of lives and property.

    Offa has accused some indigenes of Erin-Ile of causing the current incident.

    Secretary-General of the Offa Descendants Union (ODU) Wosilat Macharthy, who addressed reporters on the incident, said the association petitioned the inspector general of Police (IGP), state government, Police commissioner and Emir of Ilorin.

    “Information within our reach shows that the crime was perpetrated by yet-to-be indentified Erin-Ile indigenes. Our conviction is borne out of the series of intimidation and harassment that have been meted out to indigenes of Offa living in the area.

    “Their actions and conduct, if not checked, could degenerate into lawlessness. There is no gainsaying the fact that Offa is known to be law-abiding and peaceful, and it will not do anything to jeopardise the relative peace currently existing between it and neighbouring communities.

    “Offa people have handled disputes with Erin-Ile in the most matured and civilised way. There has never been a time Offa was found wanting for taking laws into its hands, with respect to the subject-matter.”

    But Vice President of the Erin-Ile Progressive Union (EPU) Raji Jimoh described the allegation as baseless.

    His words: “As far as I know, no Erin-Ile indigene has damaged any property belonging to Offa indigenes.

    ‘’There is a boundary between the two communities (Unity Road), built by the government, and we have not encroached into Offa territory as demarcated.”

  • Ibeshe community laments ‘illegal’ demolition

    Ibeshe community laments ‘illegal’ demolition

    •Governor gave approval

    Residents of Opere Street in Lagoon View Estate, Ibeshe, Ikorodu have accused the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development of illegally demolishing their properties under the influence of a land grabber.

    They said they learnt that their homes were destroyed to make way for a five-star hotel on the waterfront area.

    16 houses and other structures in the Estate were pulled down on August 16, 2017 allegedly by 36 armed policemen and civilians led by Task Force officials from the ministry.

    Those affected told The Nation yesterday that the demolition was followed a petition claiming that the lands were not theirs.

    They said they were never informed by the ministry that someone was contesting the ownership of their lands.

    But in a swift response, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Abiola Anifowoshe, faulted the residents’ claim.

    He explained that they were warned before the demolition and that the exercise followed all legal processes.

    “The Ministry had the Governor’s approval to remove illegal structures at Ibeshe. All the necessary statutory notices had been served before the removal,” Anifowoshe told The Nation.

    But, Victor Armstrong, whose fence enclosing two plots of land was pulled down, said some of the policemen that partook in the demolition, confirmed the existence of a petition during their protest on August 28, 2017 at the Ministry’s head office in Alausa.

    “Our properties are not under any litigation whatsoever. Most of us have building approvals and those who don’t have yet, had already commenced the process for obtaining theirs. They had paid the required fees to the ministry before the demolition occurred.

    He added: “When they came, no one was allowed in or out of the street, they ordered everyone to pick whatever we could in 10 minutes and get out. We tried to start recording but they seized our phones and smashed it to pieces.

    “They asked us if we did not get any notice. They brought one out and showed us. They said they had ‘orders from the top’ to demolish our structures, because the area had been reserved for a five-star hotel.

    Solarin Segun, whose property was also demolished, said their lawyers had petitioned Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of .

    A mother of three, Mrs Abiodun, whose home was also pulled down begged the government to not allow her “suffer in vain.”

    She said: “Please help us, so we won’t suffer in vain. How will my children go back to school? I don’t have a dime in savings. We built this house with all we had. They didn’t allow me to celebrate Sallah in my house.

    “I was at home with my 15-day old baby when they arrived. I had just finished breastfeeding her and was trying to sleep when I saw about 10 policemen surround our house. They came with Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development vehicles. The policemen hit my front door and shouted that I should pack my things and leave. ‘What is happening?’ I asked. They said they were there to demolish my house. My husband had gone to work, so I went to my neighbour’s house opposite mine to find out what was going on.

    “They had collected people’s phones and broke them or threw them in the bush to prevent us from recording what was going on. They began demolishing our buildings and threatened to arrest us if we interfered. They destroyed many houses, many big houses. I was only able to bring out my baby and other baby things that I could hold with my other hand before they demolished my house. They destroyed every other thing in the house.

    “Some of them covered their faces, but I recognised one of them. I saw him hanging around our houses several times some weeks ago and challenged him. He said there was no problem, that he just came to check something. They gave us no notice that they were coming to demolish our homes.

    “Some time ago, an unsigned piece of paper was pasted on some buildings on our street, saying the houses didn’t have building approval. But when we took the document to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, we were told the notice didn’t come from them. The officials we met pointed out that apart from it not being signed, the document also didn’t have an address and stamp.”