ABEOKUTA
A former governor of Ogun State and the senator representing Ogun east district a the national assembly, Senator Gbenga Daniel, yesterday, accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of planning to create chaos and confusion in the state through the service of quit and demolition notices served on his properties in Sagamu.
The former governor alleged that the state government lacked the moral right to paste such notices on people’s properties when such had not been pasted on his private residence, located along the Iperu-Ode-Isara highway in his Iperu country home that is devoid of any setback.
Addressing newsmen at his Asoludero Court private residence in Sagamu, Senator Daniel, who was represented by the Head of his Media Office, Steve Oliyide, described the planned demolition of his properties as political persecution and witch-hunting being orchestrated by Governor Abiodun.
He said: “The whole action is against the 2022 Urban and Regional law of the state, which they are quoting to back their sordid action.
“Which part of this law says that it is the same day that you serve the contravention notice that you must also serve the quit notice, which says that the properties will be demolished after three days.
“We are even asking for the contraventions they are talking about, but there are none. All that they were talking about was based on suspicion, yet no new construction is going on in any of these properties.
“One of the things they said was that the properties were suspected to have been built without permission. For God’s sake, when you want to build in the country, you will have your architectural designs, engineering design particularly if it will be storey building, you will then submit five copies of these documents to relevant government agency that will carry out necessary approval and stamping, after which two copies of the documents will be returned to you while the government keeps the three copies.
“It is a dereliction of duty, and it will also amount to a sheer act of irresponsibility if the government is now claiming that it does not have the record.
“I have the proof that we have our approvals, everything duly numbered, but we won’t help the government with its responsibility in the meantime, pending the time our lawyers will do their jobs.
“We are repeating, this is political persecution, in a GRA of over 2,000 houses, you are only interested in Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s house built as far back as 2004, the Conference Hotels and the annexe.”
Reacting to the former governor’s allegations, the Commissioner for Urban and Regional Planning, Mr Tunji Odunlami, yesterday, challenged Senator Daniel to provide documents of all the properties in question for verification.
Odunlami said: “What we are currently doing is no exception. This exercise had been done in Abeokuta and is now extended to Shagamu and Ijebu Ode, where there is no force except this one. It is still going to be carried out in Ota and Ilaro, where we also have GRAs.
“As we speak, distinguished Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel is yet to do so or make any representation to that effect.
“The state government has a standing mandate to enforce its physical planning laws and does so every day across the state, considering only the law and the public good. The goal of fiscal planning law and regulation is to aid urban development and to control the uses of land in the public interest. The goal is not to victimise anybody who obeys the law.
“That is why whenever the Ogun State government issues enforcement notices, genuine developers respond through the proper channels by justifying their developments or seeking plan adjustments and ratifications. The White Ogun State government does not concede the stated ages or stages of development. The law is very clear.
“We appeal to Senator Gbenga Daniel to send his representative to the relevant government office to show his documents for verification and obtain clearance.”
