*NURTW Boss, Frontline Traditional Ruler, Oil Magnate Indicted
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and members of the Lagos state House of Assembly, led by Hon. Mudashiru Obasa are now pitched in battle of wits over the failure of the executive wing of the government to execute the resolution of the lawmakers – on the illegal sale and lease of government lands to cronies and private individuals.
The first land which is around Gudugba bus-stop, Iju, in Ifako-Ijaye Local Government area of the state, contains an area of 1.186 Hectares, with concrete pillar marked MCS 369T, the coordinates which are 294665.436 metres north and 100709.014 metres East of Nigeria Origin, was acquired by the administration of Late Air Commodore Gbolahan Mudashiru in December 1984 and gazette in February 1985. The owners of the land that was acquired due to incessant flooding in the area at that time were fully compensated.
YemojaNews can reveal authoritatively that the Lagos Government land, which was meant for the proposed station of the Lagos State Fire Service, by the immediate past administration in the state, was sold to NATHOLE PETROLEUM LIMITED, by some unscrupulous elements in the lands bureau of the state, who allegedly worked in conjunction with one Mr Ariyo Oye, who was part of the original owners of the land that were compensated, some traditional rulers and local government officials.
Nathole Petroleum with an alleged forged Certificate of Occupancy with registration number 30/30/2002F later sold the land to another oil and gas company known as PETROLEUM MANAGERS.
The owner of the PETROLEUM MANAGERS, Mr Ademola, who is said to be close to the seat of power, then went ahead to erect a filling station on the portion of the land, while another portion allegedly sold to one south-eastern businessman is now being prepared for an upscale supermarket. Other buyers in the 1.186 Hectares of land include WAB HOTELS, FOUNTAIN OF LIFE BIBLE CHURCH and CITY OF LIFE BIBLE CHURCH. The remaining portion of the land is being used by some saw millers.
The second land which was allegedly leased to the boss of Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers [NURTW] Comrade Peter Arowojobe is said to have irked the people of Ifako community in the same local government. Why? The land which is on Iju road, opposite Abundant Life Church and very close to the popular Pen Cinema, belongs to the Lagos state Water Corporation. And that land housed the water reservoir of the water corporation, which had remained preserved since the first republic.
But, the GM of the Water Corporation, the former Special Adviser to ex-Gov Fashola on parastatal, Mr Adebayo Salvador and some senior staffs in the lands bureau allegedly connived and leased the land to Comrade Arowojobe, who now removed the age long water reservoir and used the land as drinking joint and car wash outlet.
The Lagos state House of Assembly, YemojaNews learnt decided to investigate the land scam after it had received series of petitions from individuals and groups like Iju Youth Action Committee and Ifako-Ijaye League of Professionals. When Hon Saka Fafunmi, the representative of the people of Iju in the legislative chamber, was held in jugular by some credible leaders in the area. The Speaker of the House, Hon Obasa then mandated the house committee on Special Duties, chaired by Hon Akeem Sokunle of Oshodi-Isolo constituency to investigate the land scam.
The committee, we can reveal visited the locations of the lands and then conducted public hearing on the land scam. Some leaders and traditional rulers in the local government were invited to participate in the sessions. While many opinion, political and Community Development leaders in the LG area came to testify and opened up on what they know about the land matters, the Olu of Iju-Ishaga, who is the first class ruler in the area failed to turned –up, despite being invited to state his side on the allegation made against him that he collected huge sums of money from the oil baron, Ademola.
Despite the fact that the members of the legislative house were attending a lawmaking retreat in the United States at the period, the Special Duties Committee stayed back in Nigeria to investigate the land matters. And few weeks back, the committee of the whole house adopted the reports of special duties committee. And, their major prayer is that the executive wing of the government led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode should reclaim the said land immediately.
But, days and weeks rolling into months, the administration of Governor Ambode has failed to act. Now, the legislative house has vowed to make sure that all government land shared among cronies is reclaimed by exposing to the public all those involved and the possible reasons Gov Ambode is reluctant in reclaiming the land for the state.
