The Oyo State Government has acknowledged pulling down a fence linked to a property owned by a former deputy governor, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, dismissing reports that it demolished any building belonging to him.
The clarification was given on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Mr. Williams Akin-Funmilayo, during an on-the-spot inspection at Temidire Zone 1 along the Bodija/Ojoo Expressway, Ibadan.
Akin-Funmilayo explained that officials of the ministry acted after residents complained that a service road connecting the community to the expressway had been blocked. He said the affected land had no building on it and that only a fence obstructing movement was removed after notices were issued.
He said: “A few hours ago, there was an online news being circulated claiming that the Oyo State Government had destroyed the property of a former deputy governor of the state, Engr Remi Olaniyan and that the action is a political vendetta.
“It came as a surprise to me, because I gave the instruction to carry out the removal of some illegal structures inhibiting smooth traffic and passage of vehicles within this neighbourhood.
“When I got that news, I knew quite well that my officials would never go out of official instruction. But just to reconfirm, I decided to visit the site and see exactly what was carried out. That is why we are here this afternoon.
“Well, it is something we can attest to. It is something even visible to the blind, anyway. The property, which is claimed to belong to the former deputy governor, has no structure on it. We only have about two or three tar-boilers there, which are equipment for road construction. So, I don’t know what property was destroyed or had been removed from an undeveloped piece of land. There is no structure on his land.
“The structures removed are just blocking the free flow of vehicles for residents of this neighbourhood. However, before I gave approval to it, due diligence was carried out.
“The Federal Government has a road setback, which the Minister of Housing and Urban Development gave to them. I have it in the file here, which I can show to you. There is a survey that shows that there is a road on this layout, which the owners of these properties have already carved together, so that they have now made those residents over here not have access to their land, and we are not going to accept that.
“So, it is only the fence that we removed; no building was pulled down.
“As we all know, physical development is regulated by the state and not by the Federal Government, which is statutory. What the Federal Minister of Housing and Urban Development gave to them is a temporary release of the road setback to their land. And it is actually stated in the letter given to them that no permanent structure should be put on the ground.
“It was equally expressed there that they should make use of it in such a way that would not disturb the peace and tranquillity of this community.
“Apart from the fact that they have no approval, and apart from the fact that from the layout of this neighbourhood, there is an existing road here, which has been there for over 30 years, the owners of these properties are just coming around this time to put up structures to disturb other residents. So, the government had to step in, as it is our responsibility to take care of all the residents of the state.
“So, we are only doing what we always do to ensure peaceful cohabitation among the people of Oyo State.”
Responding to questions on notice served before the action, the commissioner said the government followed standard procedure.
He said: “Normally, as a government, when we see an illegal structure or object inhibiting peaceful co-existence in any community, we serve them notice. We believe that before the expiration of that notice, they would do the needful.
“But in an event that they don’t do the needful as it is in this case, we will enforce it.
“We have served them notice before, but we will serve them again, and this will be the last warning. And, if they refuse, we will take it up because those living down there shouldn’t go against the vehicle on the highway, in which the passage has already been blocked.
“Truth is, we are not going to be here as a government, and somebody will be making life difficult for others. We are not going to accept that.”
Residents of the area also backed the government’s position. Speaking for the community, the Secretary, Mr. Yusuf Bolaji, and Alhaji Dikirulahi Tiamiyu said the access road belonged to all residents and was never privately owned.
Bolaji said, “I came here in 1983 to buy some land. This road has been there for the past 30 years, and we have been plying it. Suddenly, the road was blocked by Engr Olaniyan and the motor dealers.
“There was no building here before.”
Tiamiyu added: “We have reported to the Federal Ministry of Lands and went to the Oyo State Ministry of Lands, and they all came here.
“We brought out our master plan, and they went through it, and they saw everything clearly from there that this place is a service road, which has been existing for many years.
“I have been here since 1967. The other undeveloped land here belongs to the former deputy governor of Oyo State. And you can see that there is nothing that was touched there.
“All we are after is just to open this access road, right from Express here to Bodija. We have made reports several times, which proved abortive.”
