Confusion as Lagos plans to demolish houses in Ogun

There is panic among residents of Itoki-Agbado-Ijoko in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State as the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) issued them a notice of demolition/acquisition.

EaglesForeSight reports that the affected area is a border community between Ogun and Lagos States.

The people of the area had been served the notice as the Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State Government prepares for the construction of the Lagos light rail project

A notice signed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAMATA, Mrs Abimbola Akinajo, was titled, “Lagos Rail Mass Transit Red Line Project Development: Removal Notice On Physical Development Within The Right of Way.”

It was gathered that about 1,000 houses would be affected in the demolition exercise.

According to the Lagos Government, the Red Line is a 37km North – South railroad project, adding that the construction of Agbado station and associated infrastructure “is in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Nigerian Railway Corporation.

The Lagos Government added that its agency, LAMATA is also “in close consultation with the Ogun State Ministry of Transportation about the development.”

“In order to establish the Right of Way (RoW) for this proposed development, houses and businesses will be affected.

“Therefore, this letter serves as a notice to inform you that your property is likely to be acquired in overriding public interest,” the notice read in part.

However, speaking on behalf of his constituents, who are under fear of having their houses demolished by the government of another state, the lawmaker representing Ifo II State Constituency, Ganiyu Oyedeji, described the distribution of the demolition notice by LAMATA to residents of the Ogun-Lagos boundaries as “unauthorized”.

Oyedeji, who spoke under personal explanation at a plenary held at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Thursday, pleaded that urgent actions should be taken by the government of Ogun to prevent the unauthorised demolition of houses from taking place.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State House of Assembly has declared the LAMATA’s notice as null and void.

However, the Ogun Assembly called for a formal agreement between the two States through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a view to ensuring that required compensation is paid to property owners, whose structures may be affected in the course of the implementation of the proposed light rail project.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, harped on the need for the two States to jointly agree on the modalities for the implementation of the proposed projects and how the affected residents would be properly and promptly compensated.