The Ogun State Government on Saturday threatened to revoke the land allocation of erring subscribers under its Regeneration Housing Scheme at the Ibara Government Residential Area in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The government noted that it won’t hesitate to sanction any subscriber who violates the rules set out in the subscription and agreement forms completed and signed by them, no matter how highly placed in the society.
The allocation of undeveloped land is part of the process for the ongoing Ogun State GRA’s Regeneration Scheme in various parts of the state.
The Commissioner for Housing, Jamiu Omoniyi, handed down the warning while addressing the 95 subscribers at an event held at the MTR Hall in Ibara GRA on Saturday.
Omoniyi warned that allottees who fail to start developing their lands within 60 days as stipulated in the agreement form, would forfeit the allocation and appropriate rules shall be applied in case of a refund of the deposit.
He said the state government took the position to check land speculators who may buy the land and wait for it to appreciate and resell.
The commissioner also stated that houses that must be built in a particular area must conform with the prototype, particularly the exterior, while he clarified that subscribers can do whatever they want in the interior of the building, but the exterior must be uniform.
Omoniyi said, “Everyone that applied for clusters one and two was considered because we did not sell more than what we have on the ground. Numerically, a total of 95 applicants applied and 100% were successful, and those are the ones we have given it to today.
“The agreement was that you will not buy land for speculative purposes; we will not allow anyone to buy and sell this plot within two years. As a matter of fact, from 60 days from today, you start developing your plot. If you don’t, there is an agreement under oath that everyone has signed, we will revoke those plots no matter how highly placed you are if you deviate from the agreement. We will revoke the land from you and allocate it to another person.
“We have given them 60 days to move to the site and start building and within those 60 days, you must process your building plan approval and do the needful. After 60 days, you are given a maximum of nine months to build your house.”
The commissioner explained that subscribers would also be required to pay Infrastructure Upgrade Charges to take care of some facilities like drainage and culvert, just as the ministry was already discussing with the State Water Corporation so that subscribers would not need to sink boreholes.
Speaking on the security within the GRA, Omoniyi said the matter would be addressed and may involve blocking some access routes.
Omoniyi said an enlarged meeting that would involve those already residing within the GRA would be summoned to fashion new ways of doing things.
Speaking at the event, the Osi of Egbaland, Bode Mustapha, commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for his bold move to regenerate the GRA.
He said the areas where civil servants quarters were living before the commencement of the regeneration were already an eyesore that did not depict Abeokuta as a state capital.
Some subscribers who spoke at the event, lauded the state government decision, noting that the established policies would ensure a quick development of the area.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria, Ogun State branch, Dr. Adeniyi Adeyemi, commended the efforts of the government for the move.
Our correspondent gathered that after the meeting, allottees were taken to the site where plots were shown to each subscriber.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state has promised to end acts of hooliganism and tyranny in the state. He said the era of hooliganism must end in Ogun state and he was ready to safeguard peace and security as the state chief security officer. Abiodun made the vow, while hosting the newly elected chairmen and councilors in the Saturday local government poll at the presidential annex, Ibara GRA in Abeokuta. According to the governor, certain individuals hired thugs and brought illegal policemen into the state, to disrupt the Saturday local government poll in the state. In the process, the governor said they attacked the vice chairman of a local government in his home town. The governor vowed that anyone, irrespective of his status, found culpable in the attack, would face the wrath of the law. He said the illegal policemen imported into the town were disarmed, arrested and now in police custody at the command headquarter Eleweran. The governor tasked the new council’s chairmen to implement policies and programmes that would impact the lives of the people. Speaking on behalf of the new council chiefs, the new Sagamu local government chairmen, Olasile Odulate promised that they would work towards improving the lives of people in their respective areas.
The major Transport Unions in Ogun State have commended the government in the State for setting up Special Task Force to monitor the activities of filling stations over alleged sharp practices.
The Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ogun State, Alhaji Mustapha Adewale, popularly known as Yaro on Friday berated the reaction of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) over the activities of the Task Force, saying such reaction is out of place and unbecoming of a noble association like IPMAN.
He said instead of criticising and threatening showdown on the issue, the association ought to have painstakingly and diligently conduct investigation to ascertain the veracity of allegation of sharp practices among its members in Ogun State, which necessitated the setting up of Task Force to curb the menace.
The NURTW boss noted that the ultimate rationale behind the initiative by the Ogun State Government was to protect the people from crude extortion in the face of current economic hardship in the land, adding that the association must support the good intention of the government to sanitize the system against sharp practices.
” I am also a petrol dealer, I have filling stations across the State and the government carried us along in the process that brought about the Task Force. The surresptious extortion of the people by many filling stations around the State is very disturbing and annoying.
“You can imagine a situation when motorists got seven litres of fuel after and paying for ten litres, in the case of commercial drivers, situation like this responsible for hike in transport fare, meaning that the people are the ones to bear the brunt of that anomaly.
“That is the reason the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun, being a sensitive and responsive government came up with Task Force to put stop to this infraction in order not to add more burden to the people, it is a very laudable and commendable initiative that requires the support of all”, Yaro said.
In the same vein, the Secretary of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria(RTEAN) Comrade Tiwalade Akingbade, also known as Paulo Rossi has carpeted IPMAN over the development, arguing that there is no ground for their resistance to the activities of Task Force except they have ‘ skeleton in their cupboard ‘.
Akingbade explained that the setting up of the Task Force was part of the frantic efforts of Dapo Abiodun-led administration to ease the burden of hike in pump price of PMS in the effect that payment should commensurate with the volume of product and not the other way round.
He further said that the government in the State has done a lot in making life comfortable for the people and ameliorating the present economic predicament in the country by various interventions, including conversion of fossil fuel vehicles to CNG free of charge for many commercial drivers.
11According to him”, The original motive of the Task Force was to sanitise the system against some unscrupulous elements who are out to short change the people notwithstanding the harsh economy. How can one explain getting 25 litres of fuel instead of 30 litres; it is not acceptable and IPMAN should diligently approach the Task Force to confirm the number and names of its members that have been apprehended for this infraction instead of threatening fire and brimstone without recourse to reality and good intention of the government in the State”.
Ogun state Amotekun corps is recruiting additional 700 personnel to boost its strength to fight criminals across the state. The fresh recruitment started October 29 and is ending November 18. The new Amotekun corps commander, retired brigadier general Alade Adedigba said the recruitment of additional personnel was approved by Governor Dapo Abiodun. The commander in a statement said application for the job is free through the corps’ website on ogunstateamotekun.com.ng. General Adedigba also said that applicants could visit the agency’s office directly. He said screening of applicants will take place between November 25 and December 11. The new commander has said the corps intends to focus on the state’s border communities to cope with influx of criminals into the state.