Plans by the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), to evict retirees living in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) quarters, Ikeja, Lagos has sparked a row, KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.
Crisis is brewing among residents of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) quarters in Ikeja, Lagos as plans by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to evict a former Director in-charge of Safety and Eletronic Services, Godfrey Eze; an engineer, as well as former General Manager, Administration, Alhaji Kolawole Moshood Jimoh, are generating misgivings.
Residents now live in fear as the quarters, also known as Strabag Estate, is becoming a battle ground between thugs allegedly hired by NAMA to evict the retirees, who insisted that the agency had no proprietary right to evict them until all pending legal and administrative issues are resolved.
Last week, a battery of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel belonging to Operation MESA was drafted to the quarters to dislodge thugs allegedly brought in by NAMA to enforce an order of eviction secured by the agency.
The heavily armed NAF personnel, who came in response to a distress call, hurried to the quaters to arrest some thugs carrying out wanton destruction of property in Eze’s apartment. They handed over the arrested thugs to the Nigerian Police.
But the thugs staged a comeback in an alleged collusion with the police, to continue their nefarious action.
However, the retirees said the agency could not evict them until pending issues are resolved with the Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC).
The PIC is saddled with the task of selling government apartments as part of the Monetisation Policy of Obasanjo’s administration.
Investigations revealed that the duo in the last few years had been in touch with the PIC on modalities for the sale of the said apartment.
The PIC, it was learnt, had sold Expression of Interest forms to the ex-NAMA personnel, as part of preliminary processes for onward sale of the apartments to them.
Sources hinted that surveyors and valuers from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing visited the apartments some years ago to carry out valuation and assessment of the buildings. However, NAMA management has declined to comment on the matter.
Speaking in an interview, Godfrey Eze, an engineer, who was relieved of his job from NAMA as Director incharge of Safety and Electrnonic Services, between December 2005 and February 2009, said the agency was unfair in its attempt to evict him from the quarters because issues surrounding his ouster have not been fully addressed.
He said he was directly engaged by NAMA, but became a member of staff of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on secondment to the airspace agency.
Eze said he challenged his ouster from the agency many years ago in court.
He said the agency is yet to pay his gratutity despite a ruling by the Federal High Court, Lagos.
The refusal of the agency to pay his entitlements and other matters related to deductions from his salary, while in service as part of the Monetisation Policy on the apartment, he said, needs to be thoroughly looked into.
Eze said: “NAMA tried to evict me in 2013, but the move was resisted because there was no eviction notice from a competent court or the Police and court bailiff. For a matter that is yet to be fully decided by the court, the action so far taken by NAMA management amounted to taking laws into its hands.”
While, the furore generated by the matter was yet to settle last week, crisis broke out at the quarters, forcing some residents to scamper for safety.
Thugs allegedly hired by NAMA invaded Eze’s residence to evict occupants.
On August 6, 2016, when thugs raided Eze’s apartment, he was attending an exhibition in Abuja.
Investigations revealed that the said thugs broke the wall at the back of the building to gain entrance; shattered the windows and threw out his property.
Eze told The Nation: “My family has been traumatised since August 5, 2016 and August 8, 2016 when thugs hired by NAMA management invaded my apartment at FAAN quarters. They damaged my property, ramsacked the entire house, stole huge sums of money, jewelries and other valuables.
“From my assessment, the thugs stole from my house N2,500 Euros, $1,600 and N250,000 as well as my wife’s jewelry. They also stole some yet be be determined foreign currencies belonging to my son, who is an instructor at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria.
” I was in Abuja when their operation took place, my wife and son were the people at home. The thugs knocked, they did not open the door for them, they then decided to break in.
“When I arrived from Abuja, I drove to the Domestic Police Station at Ikeja, to report the incident. I even called the Managing Director of NAMA, Anyasi, about what his people had done. But he did not respond, I sent series of short messages services ( SMS). I have written a petition to the Commissioner of Police, and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Zone 2, on this matter. I am still challenging this matter in court, and will not give up, no matter what NAMA management is up to, until the matter is resolved by the highest court in the land.
“I have taken this step because the rulings of other courts on this matter are not satisfactory. One of the courts ruled that NAMA should pay my gratuity, but, as I speak to you, it has not done that,” Eze said.
He said efforts by the Police to resolve the matter over the years have not yielded any positive result. “I am convinced the police are becoming interested party in this matter,” he said.
He said his position was predicated on the way police officials handled the matter after he reported the incident. “The Police sent their officials to investigate the wanton destruction of the house. But, I was surprised that the same police came up to say that NAMA had reported a matter against me,” he said.
He went on: “But, what has become intriguing is that after I reported the matter to the police and an investigative officer was assigned to ascertain my claims of property destruction, and stolen money and other valuables, two female police officers were assigned, they drove with me to the house to take photographs on the activities of the thugs brought in by NAMA.
“I was asked to report to the station next day only to be told that NAMA management had reported a case of assault and property damage against me. I was taken to a Magistrate Court in Agege and arraigned on a four-count charge.
“The judge granted me bail, but because I could not meet the conditions, they took me to Kirikiri, only to be released the next day. My position on this matter is clear: once the Supreme Court rules that I do not have a case, I am ready to vacate the apartment. But, any form of imtimidation by NAMA to evict me without a valid court notice will not see the light of the day.”
On his part, the former General Manager, Administration, Alhaji Moshood Kolawole Jimoh, who left NAMA on February 6, 2015, has faulted the “illegality” exhibited by the agency.
He was also arrested and arraigned along with Eze for assault of NAMA personnel and destruction of property.
He said: “What NAMA management has done is contrary to the position of government as it affects the sales of quarters to sitting civil servants as tenants. While in service, I was involved in this matter as clerk on behalf of NAMA in the programme monitored by the Presidential Implementation Committee on the sales of operational quarters. The PIC never supported what NAMA management has done. Many years ago, the PIC issued forms for expression of interest to some residents. They sent their officials and captured us, inspected the houses and we were only waiting for the letter of award of bid to buy the houses. For NAMA management to throw up charges against us and the police colluding with them is unacceptable.”
In a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, Retired Civil Servants of Aviation Parastatals , in FAAN quarters otherwise known as Strabag Estate, have complained about threats by the heads of the aviation agencies: FAAN, NAMA and NCAA) to evict them.
The petition signed on their behalf by Catherine Ahuruchi, said plans to evict them are in total disregard of a pending suit and court injuction in the Federal Industrial Court, Lagos.
The petition dated June 30, 2016 reads: “Commissioner, you may recall our earlier letters and discussions with you as legal sitting tenants at FAAN quarters. We have filed a suit against the agencies, which is pending in the Federal Industrial Court, Lagos, over the refusal of some of the agencies to implement monetisation policy of government in residential quarters.
“You may also wish to note that the Justice of the Federal Industrial Court has since issued injuction restraining the agencies and their agents from evicting or disturbing us in any form until substantive suit is determined. You will remember that FAAN, NAMA and NCAA had been in the habit of issuing quit notices and harrassing our retired officers with threats of seizure of their retirement benefits until the then Commissioner of Police intervened
“We will resist any attempt to evict any of our members illegally or without court order. We will resist any attack by thugs or hoodlums on us in self defence should they resort to use of force and this may lead to break down of law and order in the estate. Our prayer is that you prevail on the agencies not to take laws into their hands,” they said.
A senior official of NAMA, who confided in The Nation said NAMA has taken steps to recover government property from retired personnel who are hanging on to legal technicalities.
