Lagos Assembly summons commissioner, LBIC over plan to demolish Jakande Estate houses

 


Lagos State House of Assembly has summoned Moruf-Akinderu Fatai, Commissioner for Housing, and Oluwatobi Lawal, Managing Director, Lagos Building Investment Company (LBIC).

The officials and some residents were invited over the planned demolition of some houses in the Jakande Estate area of Eti-Osa.

This followed an issue raised under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’ by Hon. Noheem Adams, Deputy Majority Leader of the House.

Adams said the residents, between 70 and 80 years old, stormed his residence Tuesday morning and appealed that the government be stopped from demolishing their houses.

He recalled that majority of them lived in Maroko until their houses were demolished in the 1990s. The authorities then relocated them to Jakande Estate.

Adams told his colleagues that the residents now face threats of their buildings being demolished.

The residents already wrote a petition to the Speaker which is being addressed by the House Committee on Public Petitions headed by Hon. Victor Akande.

On September 23, Akande led a House delegation to the estate alongside some LBIC officials who promised that the company would not demolish buildings in the area.

But on October 12, the LBIC went to there to mark houses for demolition, according to the lawmaker.

In his contribution, Hon. Rotimi Olowo said the parties should reach mutual understanding because the home owners had invested heavily in the place.

The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, who approved the invitation of the commissioner and the LBIC boss, said it was necessary to understand the position of the government.