Politics
Gov. Sanwo-Olu ends fight between commissioners over Magodo Phase II
By Tumininu Ojelabi Hassan
Residents of the Magodo GRA Phase II Estate in Lagos have called for the intervention of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the invasion of the estate by unauthorized persons to the wetland, posing threats to their safety and security.
The Magodo GRA Phase II residents sent a ‘Save Our Souls and Properties’ message to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday, November 23rd, 2023 during a press conference addressed by the Chairman of the Magodo II Residents Association (MRA), Engr. Sheriff Daramola, in company of the Board of Trustees, Central Consultative Council, Central Management Council, Executive members and Residents of the estate.
The residents revealed that the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Olumide Oluyinka, including top officials of the Ministry and the Chairperson of Ikosi Isheri Local Government, Mrs. Samiat Abolanle Bada have backed up land speculators and developers, who have decided to develop the wetland and are bent on gaining access to it through Magodo Phase lI.
They further pleaded for Sanwo-Olu’s urgent intervention to pre-empt the breakdown of law and order in the estate and the state, noting that the plan is a direct threat to the environment, safety and security of the Magodo GRA Phase II community with over 16,000 residents, who have lived peacefully and secured in the estate for more than three decades.
Daramola appealed to the Lagos State Government to desist from any plan to build link roads to the wetland through Magodo Phase II Estate but instead construct a road from the Otedola underpass, which is currently free of development and unencumbered, adding that this will put nobody or interest under needless stress and danger.
He disclosed that in the last six months, residents had experienced serial vandalisation of vehicles, theft cases and criminal activities as a result of exposure to the wetland by land speculators and developers, who insisted on gaining access to the wetland through the estate.
He commended Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, for his recent visit to Magodo Phase II, where he emphasised the significance of preserving the wetland and the consequences of its development. However, he was perplexed that Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, wants land speculators and developers to gain access to the wetland through Magodo Estate.
“We commend Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his unwavering support and commitment to his promises not to allow access through the wetlands from Magodo Phase II in our tripartite meeting in the past and in his support to ensure continuous peace in our Magodo Phase Il community and Lagos State as a whole. Mr. Governor, sir, we have those that are warming up to distort and destroy the peace and harmony we enjoy in Magodo Phase II. To add to the security concerns in the estate and Lagos State by forcefully planning to access the wetland through Magodo Phase II despite alternative routes listed outside Magodo Phase II. Accessing the wetland through Magodo Phase II shall create further damage of colossal proportion,” he said.
While addressing Journalists at the entrance of the wetland, Daramola described the action of the land speculators and developers as an act of injustice and impunity on Magodo Phase II residents.
“We are here to witness the injustice that has been meted on Magodo residents. On the first of this month, November specifically, we erected a concrete wall here behind me. When the concrete wall was erected, as a law abiding citizen of this state and country, we communicated officially to the Commissioner for Physical planning that following our letter in 2022 and the meeting we held with you in 2022, that we were going to erect an embankment. Please be informed that the wall has been erected. We sent him letters and pictures to substantiate what we had done.
Unfortunately, before 11am we saw armed police men fully kitted, we saw Omo Onile and other people, who we weren’t familiar with their faces coming into the estate to demolish the wall. Immediately after the demolition, they erected their own. At the government residential area? Where is it done?
Mr. Governor has promised that there will be no access to the wetland through Magodo. Not once did he make this promise, not even twice. We believe Mr. Governor’s promise, we believe he is a man of honour and integrity. He won’t say what he won’t fulfill. The fence that was demolished, we couldn’t find it there but unfortunately Omo Onile came to erect their gate. This is a high level of injustice in a government residential area. Imagine what would have ensued if we had also reacted, our approach is very systematic and that is why we are involving the press to know the kind of treatment and impunity being meted on Magodo phase II residents,” he stated.
He pleaded to Governor Sanwo-Olu to fulfill his promise and not allow access to the wetland through Magodo Phase II estate while reiterating that it is an environmental threat and a threat to the residents’ security.
“The fact remains that the access to this place is a threat to our security, an environmental threat. We showed a video of landslide and it is happening around the corridor of these houses. We showed you the flood that we experience when it rains due to a blockage of some of the outputs of the flood water.
“We can’t have our eyes closed peacefully because of this gate that is here and we are pleading to Mr. Governor to please allow us erect our wall back. We are also pleading not to allow access to the wetland as he has promised in many engagements we had with him. Magodo people are peace moving people, we have formed a culture of character, orderliness and this has gone over three decades.
“Having said that, we see no reason why the developers colluding with the Lagos state government physical planning and Omo Onile to distort our environment and to create insecurity. If you are talking about access to wetland, there are solutions and alternatives we have provided to the government. These alternatives were re-echoed at the last Kosofe modern city plan, there was a town hall meeting and we echoed that there are alternatives, the Otedola bridge is there, Agiliti is there and government can also institute other alternatives but not through Magodo GRA Phase II,” he added.
Speaking during the press conference, former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Francisco Abosede, who is a resident of Magodo GRA Phase II Estate, said the wetland amongst other ecological benefits served as a natural storm sewer for all storm water from Agidingbi, Ikeja, Ogba, Alausa, as it had also shielded Magodo from soil erosion, flooding, flood-related diseases and disasters over the decades.
He said forcing access to the wetland through Magodo Phase Il in the proposed urban development scheme will have consequences for the existence of Magodo Phase II and its residents, adding that using Magodo GRA Phase Il to access the wetland is to destroy the fragile infrastructure the residents have collectively managed and maintained with support from the Lagos State Government.
Mojeed Jamiu, a journalist and resident in the Estate, urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to intervene and call his commissioners to order, adding that selfish interests are involved.
“Why we are calling for Mr. Governor’s intervention is the fact that we have a commissioner for physical planning, Dr. Olumide Oluyinka, who is supporting the Omo Onile and backed them to pull down this structure. A week later, the commissioner for environment came here and he said no to any building on wetland. So we have conflicting signals from two commissioners of the same government.
“We want Mr. Governor, who is also a surveyor, and understands this terrain. He has visited Magodo and promised us in Magodo that he won’t allow anything untoward to happen. We want him to intervene and call his commissioners to order because we can see that there are selfish interests involved. The commissioner for physical planning is backing the Omo onile against an estate of 16,000 people, while the commissioner for environment, Dr. Tokunbo Wahab, is upright and he is protecting the environment.
He was here on Sunday and he did a video, where he said there will be no construction on the wetland because of its hazards. We want the governor, Mr. Babajide SanwoOlu, who we know is upright and true to his words to come to our rescue and give a clear directive on who we are to obey between the commissioner for physical planning and commissioner for environment.
A resident of the Magodo GRA Phase II who spoke with our correspondent concerning the ongoing issue vehemently opposed to the proposed plan, that is, gaining access to the wetland through the estate. He opined that land speculators intend to use Magodo GRA Phase II as a marketing strategy to attract prospective buyers.
“Omo Onile own the wetland but they want to use Magodo GRA phase II as access to that wetland. MRA doesn’t want this, instead an independent access should be created from Otedola underpass. Omo Onile intend to develop the wetland, as a matter of fact they have started selling part of it since last year. The land is genuine and Lagos state government has given them title for it.
“They want Magodo to give them access, they want to use Magodo to sell the place. If we give them access, the land’s value will be higher and it will attract a lot of people. The commissioner for physical planning is supporting the Omo Onile while the commissioner for environment is supporting MRA. The governor has intervened and they are on it. If we give them access to Magodo, it will be congested in the nearest future and this is the bone of contention”.
In response to the call for help by Magodo II Residents Association, the Lagos State Government has said that it would create independent access to Magodo lowland.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide disclosed this at Alausa on Friday, 24th November, 2023.
The Commissioner said that the decision to facilitate access to the virgin land outside of Magodo GRA was in deference to concerns by the Magodo II Residents Association and a demonstration of the listening ears of the Administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the State.
“Considering the history and dynamics of the Magodo saga, the Lagos State Government will continue to strive to harmonise all valid interests and ensure that law and order is maintained at all times,” he said.
He enjoined all concerned to cooperate with the State Government in finding a lasting solution to the matter.
