WorldStage Newsonline– The face-off between Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and a former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel has taken a new and dangerous dimension with claims and counterclaims on alleged plans to demolish the properties of the latter for political reasons.
The Media Office of ex-gov Daniel, now the Senator representing Ogun East had on Saturday issued a press statement titled “Political Persecution as Governor Abiodun Issues Quit, Demolition Notices on Daniel’s Properties in Ogun State”, alleging intent to illegally demolish his properties.
Specifically, the statement alleged that Governor Dapo Abiodun posted Notices of Contravention, Quit and threats of demolition on the Asoludero Court Sagamu private residence of Gbenga Daniel, the Conference Hotels Limited, Sagamu and the hotel Annex of the former Governor, with intent to illegally demolish them.
However, while Ogun State government has not denied placing the notice on Daniel’s properties, it claimed that it was a routine procedure.
The governor, in a statement by his spokesperson said there was an ongoing holistic approach to development efforts across the length and breadth of the state as Gov Abiodun embarked not only on building new communities as exemplified by the affordable housing estates and the yellow roof revolution, but also on the redevelopment of Ogun State’s towns and cities through urban renewal.
The statement said the initiative involved the auditing of existing developments within Ibara GRA in Abeokuta, the state capital, Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode GRA in order to determine the permit status of all types of developments, including houses, schools, hospitals and other commercial buildings.
“This is a statutory and due process requirement which will provide information for any government intervention. And this informed the development audit exercise currently being carried out simultaneously both in Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu GRAs,” the statement said.
The statement also confirmed that ex-Gov Daniel’s building happens to be within the Sagamu GRA and among those that were served notices as required under the Town Planning Law and Regulation of Ogun State.
While Ex- Gov Daniel had raised an alarm that issuing of Quit and Demolition Notices on his properties was politically motivated, the current governor is claiming that many other structures were similarly served.
“The exercise is a continuous one until the objective of government for the exercise is achieved,” the statement said.
“This process is not new. It had been in existence and operated even during his tenure as Governor of the State. The GRA is a government designed and allocated estate and it is subject to regulatory and oversight functions of government in perpetuity.
“All Otunba Gbenga Daniel needs to do, like every other person’s in similar situation that have been served with such notices in that neighbourhood, is to present his planning permit and land title to the relevant government Agency office for verification within the time specified in the notices rather than resorting to cheap blackmail. There are no exemptions under the law except as permitted by that Law.”
