Skip to main content

Lagos residents protest against planned demolition of shops

FILE PHOTO: A market place after demolition

FILE PHOTO: A market place after demolition

Residents of Oke-Afa Estate, Isolo, Lagos have called on the state House of Assembly to prevail on the state government to stop the planned demolition of shops in the estate.

Some of the residents, who staged a protest to the House on Monday, said that officers of the Lagos Building Investment Company gave them a final notice on Friday, Oct. 28.

According to them, the demolition is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 1.

The protesters said that the development would lead to loss of livelihood for the shop owners, who are predominantly pensioners.

The leader of the protesters, Chief Olawale Osanyinpeju, said that the estate was constructed by former governor Lateef Jakande in the 80s, while the residents built shops on spaces around their houses.

“We cannot allow grass to grow in the spaces, so we decided to build shops in the areas.

“Since then, we have been making use of the place. We cannot leave them and go to the market.

“LBIC initially came to demolish the stalls, but we invited them and we discussed. I am the Chairman of Kiosks and Containers Committee.

“They inspected what we had done and they saw that they were okay.

“They came during the tenure of former governor Raji Fashola and said we would be paying ground rent of N1,000 for containers and N500 for small shops and we complied,” Osanyinpeju said.

The protesters later submitted a letter dated Oct. 31 and signed by B.A Johnson and Toba Johnson, the President and Secretary of the Landlords’ Association of the estate respectively, to the Assembly.

The petition submitted to the House read in part: “The Lagos Building Investment Company (LBIC) is planning in conjunction with Ministry of Environment and other bodies to demolish our shops.

“The government has also demolished our heritage, the Landlord Association Civic Centre, all these may lead to political instability.

“These shops are our means of livelihood since we are mostly pensioners and retirees.

“We obtained permit before erecting the shops and we pay annual dues to LBIC. We equally pay to Local Government (Ejigbo Local Council Development Area)”.

They appealed for intervention of the lawmakers.

Addressing the protesters, the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Mr Sanai Agunbiade said that the House would look into the matter and get back to them in due course.

Agunbiade commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall of Assad is a Blow to Russia's Prestige

The potential fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing ally of Russia, would mark a turning point in Moscow’s global influence, particularly in the Middle East. Steve Rosenberg’s analysis underscores the profound implications for Russia, which has invested heavily—both militarily and politically—in ensuring Assad’s survival over the past decade. This article delves into why Assad’s downfall would strike at the core of Russian prestige and what it could mean for the broader geopolitical landscape. Russia's Strategic Commitment to Syria Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Russia has been a staunch supporter of Assad's regime. In 2015, Moscow launched a military intervention that proved decisive in stabilizing Assad’s hold on power. This intervention solidified Russia's role as a key power broker in the Middle East and demonstrated its willingness to project military power far beyond its borders. Syria is not just an ally for Russia; it is a...
Post a Comment
Read more