Lagos Assembly summons commissioner, landowners over planned demolition of houses

The alleged planned demolition of several homes in Jakande Estate in the state’s Eti-Osa region prompted the Lagos State House of Assembly to summon two state government officials and some landowners on Tuesday.

The two government representatives are Mr. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, the state’s commissioner for housing, and Mr. Oluwatobi Lawal, managing director of the Lagos Building Investments Company (LBIC).

After Noheem Adams, the deputy majority leader, addressed “Matters of Urgent Public Importance” during the plenary in Ikeja, the House summoned the officials.

Adams said to his coworkers that seniors who were 70 and 80 years old broke into his home early on Tuesday and begged the state authorities to halt the demolition of their homes.

He said: “It will be recalled that the majority of the residents lived in Maroko before their houses were demolished in the 1990s and they were relocated to the Jakande Estate in Eti-Osa local government area of Lagos State.”

The representative stated that up until lately, when threats of demolition first surfaced, the locals had lived in peace.
He said that the locals had petitioned the House to resolve the issue in writing.

Adams added: “On September 23, some members of the House led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Victor Akande visited the Jakande Estate with some officials from the LBIC who had promised that they will not demolish buildings in the area.

“However on October 12, officials of the LBIC went to the estate to mark houses for demolition.”

Another lawmaker, Rotimi Olowo, described the situation of the residents as pathetic.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, before approving the invitation of the commissioner and the LBIC boss, stressed the need for the lawmakers to understand the government’s position before taking any decision on the issue.