Community reacts against Ogun govt Illegal acquisition of land along Abeokuta Sagamu Expressway
Some Community leaders and landowners along Abeokuta Sagamu Expressway has cindenmed the total takeover of their lands by the State government without considering the original land owners.
Government in a circular no HCF/BLS/10/VOL.II/ 48, dated 24th March, 2023 titled suspension of application for accommodation along 1.5km corridors acquisition along Abeokuta Sagamu Expressway, ordered individuals and others to stop further construction on the corridor.
“The State Government has noticed with dismay the massive encroachment on the 1.5 km corridor
Acquisitions along Abeokuta/Sagamu Expressway by unauthorized individuals and corporate bodies.
The continuos clearing of vegetation and development of illegal structures along the axis is tantamount to turning the axis into a slum, thereby negating the development plans of the State Government for the axis.
To salvage the corridor from becoming a slum, I write to inform you that His Excellency, Prince Dapo
Abiodun, MFR has directed the immediate stoppage of acceptance/ processing of applications for the
accommodation of interest along this axis.
You are further informed to suspend granting Land Information Certificate/Charting information on ‘and
along the corridor till further notice fron the date of this letter.
Furthermore, the Surveyor-General should submit the hard and soft copies of land information along that axis forthwith to the office of the undersigned.
You are strictly compelled to abide by this directives
Many thanks
It was gathered that some years ago, the Ogun State government demolished some shanties and illegal structures at the Sagamu Interchange along the Lagos/Ibadan corridor of the expressway.
The exercise which was carried out by officials of the state’s Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning was aimed at restructuring the area which had been designed for industrial development.
Stressing the importance of the development, the then Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Mr Adebola Adeife, said that the ministry had served the occupants of the illegal structures notice of eviction but they refused to vacate the area.
According to him, the shanties and illegal structures fell under the 70 metres setback for the road expansion and were also within the 1.5 kilometres acquisition of the Ogun State government.
He noted that the state government had acquired 1.5 kilometres on both side of the roads for development.
But reacting to the development, a community leader described the move as illegal saying that the land tenancy law has placed the original land owners as an important stakeholder when it comes to buying and selling of land.
Chief Daud Sosanya, from Ogunjobi village, said many of those lands rather for government to use it for public use has been reserved for their friends and cronies.
He said, “government can only acquire any land for public use, but when it comes for private use, the original land owners must also be carried along, except if we want to turn government to land speculators.
He said “if you get an allocation for a land from government, you will need to get the consent of the land owners, same goes to whoever gets land from native land owners will also need to approach government for necessary documentation.
He frowned at a situation where government will just acquire a land and turned it to private use saying that it is illegal and uncalled for.
Also one of the Baale of a community in Agodo area Chief Obasa Adebayo said the government is just hiding under a finger that it wanted to control the area into turning into a slum, he said the idea is to deprive natives from having access to their inheritance.
He said there are ways government can go about it, but the natives must be part of the process.
