The Ogun State Government has advised a former governor of the state and senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the state, Gbenga Daniel, to stop crying foul and comply with lawful directives
Kayode Akinmade, a spokesman for Governor Dapo Abiodun, stated this in response to the alleged plan to demolish Daniel’s Asoludero residence and Conference Hotel in the Sagamu Local Government Area of the state.
The former governor had raised concerns over a plan by the state government to demolish his properties using the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law No. 61 of 2022, which he said were legally constructed before the law came into existence.
He maintained that the move by the state government to demolish his private residence in Sagamu and Conference Hotels Limited, among others, was politically motivated and also a blatant disregard for due process and the rule of law.
However, the governor’s aide Akinmade declared that Daniel was not above the law.
He explained that the former governor, like others who owned properties within that neighbourhood, were served with the notices.
He said Daniel, rather than presenting his planning permit and land title to the relevant government agency for verification within the time specified in the notices, resorted to cheap blackmail.
Akinmade said, “The Ogun State Government is not engaged in any untoward move against Otunba Gbenga Daniel in any way.
“The fact of the matter, quite simply, is that in his holistic approach to development efforts across the length and breadth of Ogun State, His Excellency, Governor Dapo Abiodun, has 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. This, he started with Ibara GRA in Abeokuta, the state capital, and is being extended to Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode GRAs.
“This initiative involves the auditing of existing developments within these areas 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 that will provide information for any government intervention. And this informed the development audit exercise currently being carried out simultaneously in both Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu GRAs.
“Otunba Gbenga 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. Many other structures were also similarly served.”
