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Magodo Estate Land Matter: Stop obstructing the Rule of Law, Save Lagos Group tells Sanwo-Olu
….Lauds CSP Abimbola Oyewole for standing for the rule of law
A Lagos based Civil Rights Group, Save Lagos Group (SLG) has urged the State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to stop obstructing the rule of law and order of the Supreme Court on the Magodo Estate Land matter, insisting that Mr. Sanwo-Olu as elected officials that took oath to respect and uphold the rule of law at all times should not be seen to be violating the law in respect of Magodo Estate.
The group maintained that the country was a country of constitutional democracy and not a banana county, which was basis of its operations in respect to democratic norms and values and it was abomination, arrogancy, aberration, anathema, lawlessness and nonchalant attitude for any elected and appointed leaders to be disrespecting to rule of law as being displayed by Sanwo-Olu on the subject matter recently.
It stressed that once the Supreme Court has made a pronouncement on certain issues, it must be oblige by the parties because it is “final on its finality” as applicable to all the positions of authorities in the land, asking rhetorically that whenever the Supreme Court gave its judgement on political scenes, it would follow to the letter, but reverse used to be the case on general scenes as those who were in the position of authority through the rule of law, would always block the implementation for selfish reason that would not grow our nurturing democracy.
Praising the CSP Abimbola Oyewole for upholding and standing with the truth and justice on the subject matter as being handed down by the Apex Court of the land, saying CSP Oyewole deserve immediate promotion without interview.
And the public commendation by the authority concern and deserved to be given the National Merit Award (NMA).
While speaking for the second time
within two weeks on the Magodo Estate incident on Thursday, the Convner of the civil rights group, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, advised Sanwo-Olu to tender unreserved public appology to the CSP Oyewole and his team without any further delay for using his position as Governor of Lagos State to obstruct the constitutional duty of the team.
Comrade Sulaiman
lamented the prevailing governmental style in the state with a call on Governor Babajide Sanwoolui to ensure that the welfare of the people living in the state is well catered for, saying residents are bearing the brunt of bad governance occasioned by what it termed official abandonment.
Sulaiman carpeted the Babajide Sanwoolu led Government of All Progressives Congress (APC)in the State, for doing very little to enhance the living condition of the residents of the state whom he stated have been left to fend for themselves by providing for their basic necessities.
Sulaiman who doubles as the Executive Chairman, Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) accused the state government of promoting extortion of residents using the platform of the various Community Development Associations(CDA/CDC) across the state.
According to him, the state and the various Local Governments(L.G) and Local Council Development Areas(LCDA) have abandoned the people and have elevated official extortion as statecraft leaving the people to lament the absence of quality governance across the state.
Members of the Save Lagos Group (SLG) are in solidarity with the people of the state who are daily being milked dry by the Babajide Sanwoolu and the various local councils.
From our findings, the state government and the various local councils have abdicated their responsibilities of catering to the wellbeing and development of the people of Lagos.
“What we have found out is that the state government and the various local governments have abdicated their responsibilities of catering to the welfare of the people and provision of basic amenities to the people”.
This has left the people at the mercy of the various shylock leaders of the various CDAs who now extort them under the guise of raising money for the provision of developmental projects.” The group wrote in the statement.
According to SLG, the state government since the inception of the Sanwoolu led administration has endured and promoted the nefarious activities of the various CDAs who most times will levy members of the various communities to provide and secure life supporting infrastructure such as Roads, Schools, Hospitals, Drainages and others in their various communities.
“What we have since discovered is that most of the monies raised from these efforts are usually diverted by the leadership of these various CDAs, leaving small or no money left for the projects that have been earmarked to be embarked upon.
“Through these schemes, billions of Naira have been raised by the innocent and hapless people of the state who have been constantly fleeced by these criminals who are enjoying state protection for their less than noble activities across the state.” Sulaiman wrote.
The group also carpeted the state government for habitual violation of the Fundamental Human Rights of the people via unbridled and callous appropriation of their individual and common patrimony as exemplified by the recent attempts by *reclaimed stolen land in Magodo area of the state.
“The Lagos State Government as we know it today is a Criminal Enterprise Primed(CEP) to always infringe on the rights of the citizens living in the state.
Most times, its officials usually hide under the gamut of the state apparatus to dispossess the people of their rights and belongings. A tipical case scenario is that of the now well advertised case and efforts of the rightful owners of the land to reclaim their over Five Hundred Plots(500) illegally taken away from them by the state government.
“The information at our disposal states that during the military regime, some parcels of land were acquired for the establishment of a state of the art hospital which did not materialize until the advent of civil rule.
Rather than use the land for the intended purposes, the state government officials converted the said land to personal use.
“We have been told that over time, instead of returning the land to the original owners, government officials shared it amongst themselves to build choice properties on them.
This is a clear violation of the fundamental rights of the families that initially owned the land.”
Similarly, the Lagos State Government did to one retired Medical Practitioner, a person of Dr. Akinsanya Adekunle Folajuwon with Phone Number:-(+234 8034607817) by collecting money from him from parcel of land and yet to be allocated to him for over Ten(10) Years now after the Government officials had collected both stipulated and unrecorded funds from him for the land.
Dr. Akinsanya also went to Court to seek redress and judgement was obtained from the Lagos State High in suit-No.ID/726/2010 and Sanwo-Olu led present government was yet to implement the judgement without appealing it since few years ago now.
While commending the family for the civil approach that it took to recover the land by making recourse to the judiciary as the last hope of the common Man, the Save Lagos Group (SLG) carpeted what it termed the shenanigans of the state government for its refusal to honour and effect the outcome of the Judicial process as seen in the Judgement of the Supreme Court affirming the ownership of the land to the original owners.
“Let us at this time commend the members of the landowning family for the dogged, sustained, focused and civil approach that they have employed in seeking redress to the glaring and manifest right violation that the state government has committed against them.
To us, very few individuals and organizations have the same temerity and focus to go the whole hog.” The group wrote.
Reacting to the much publicised exchanges between the Lagos State Governor and the leader of the police contingent that was deployed by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to help enforce the RULING of the Supreme Court, Sulaiman who also praised CSP Abimbola Oyewole for standing firm against intimidation by the state governor during his (Sanwoolu) visit to Magodo recently.
According to the SLG who also lauded the efforts of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami for siding with the people, “CSP Oyewole demonstrated courage and professionalism in standing up to Sanwoolu’s tyranny. Officers like that are who we want in the police force and we commend him.”
The group however urged both the state and the various local governments to desist from this unbridled act of deliberate pauperization of the people whom it stated are at the throes of survival or else, the group would start a locomotive Political comprehensive Struggle to picket all the involved government offices in a bid to drive home our points.
Signed:
Comrade ADENIYI ALIMI SULAIMAN,
(Revolutionary Alfa),
Convener, Save Lagos (SLG)
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