Open Letter To The Governor Of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo

By Shakiru Seidu.

Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor, Lagos and Mr Shakiru Seidu, victim.of the demolition

My dear Governor,

I am actually constrained to write this open letter to you again. It is my expectation that even if you don’t come across this mail by yourself, someone close to you might, and draw your attention to it sir.

My name is Shakiru Seidu, a Community Media Practitioner, former legislative Aide at the Lagos State House of Assembly, former Special Adviser on Media in Igbogbo/ Bayeku LCDA and one of the victims of Oke-Ira Community demolition in Igbogbo, Lagos State. I also publish the MegaXpression Magazine.

Your Excellency sir, I humbly want to keep you posted that the Owners of over 150 demolished Houses at Oke-Ira Community are not happy to learn that almost four months now, we are yet to receive a single word from your government over the sudden hardships by government agency to your people, claiming that they acted on the petition before them by the Nichemtex Cooperative and Thrift Society Ikorodu.

Mr Governor sir, it might interest to let you know that concerning this land in question, the families of Ainatayo, Ogunbiyi and Adewusi are the owners of Oke-Ira land from time immemorial without any argument, and does not have any family relations with Onire Ajibode of Bayeku who sold land to the Nichemtex Cooperative. The Oke-Ira family only sold 16 acres to Nichemtex Cooperative during the reign of my late father as Olotu Ebi, Late Chief Lamidi Seidu.

Meanwhile, the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo is the Overlord over the Oke-Ira Land. It was when Onire Ajibode of Bayeku started selling land that doesn’t belong to them, Oke-Ira people and other neighbouring communities went to Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, their Overlord, to cry for help, in which the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo took Onire Ajibode and Bayeku Community to court on behalf of himself and his subject communities against Bayeku.

The High Court judgement of 2009 and appeal court judgment of 2019 therefore ruled in favoured of Adeboruwa of Igbogbo. These also confirmed the ruling of Appeal court of 1924 and Supreme Court of 1928 against Bayeku Community. After which Power of Anthoney was given to the Oke-Ira family over the land by the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom.

Your Excellency sir, the Nichemtex Cooperative’s title over the Oke-Ira land and the CofO given to them are currently being challenged in the Court with Siut No: IKD/440/LMW/2018 at Ikorodu High Court against the Nichemtex Cooperative and Suit No: JD/9141GCMW/2022 at High Court Ikeja against the State Government.

Victims protesting the demolition allegedly on the order of the Governor, Mr Sanwo-Olu

Mr Governor sir, it might even interest you to know that Mr Samuel Adebayo, Mr Funsho Akintimeyin, Mr Thomas Enilolobo of Nichemtex Cooperative and some other bad elements in government’s agencies have refused to answer these three questions:

From which family did the Nichemtex Cooperative bought 47.11 hectares of land?
If truly Oke-Ira land is an acquired land by the State government, from which family does the land acquired? Because Oke-Ira family has never had any deal with the State Government except when they requested for land to build Lagos State Senior Girls Model College, in which Oke-Ira family gave the land willingly free of charge and possession already taken by the government.
Can government acquired land from a family and start selling to individuals for personal use? These and more begs for answers and requires your thorough investigation sir.

Presently, my humble self and your over 500 voters were currently HOMELESS, we are not sure what step the government of Lagos State has taken to ensure they halt the suffering of the ordinary Lagosians that their houses were demolished in Oke-Ira on May 31, 2022, without Court Order or Notice.

Three months down the line, nothing positive seems to have taken place, instead, the Nichemtex Cooperative representatives have been harassing myself and other family members with Nigerian Police, while the victims are still groaning under the heavy yoke placed on their neck by this unlawful act.

So, dear Governor Sanwo-Olu, I and other affected victims are pleading passionately with you sir, we know, as you rightly pointed out sometime ago, that there is a difference between a State government and a State Governor. At least, we know that there is no Executive State government. But there is an Executive State Governor. And we are pleading with you to invoke your Executive privilege with the expediency it deserves to ensure that this pain is over and that the Oke-Ira people can have their shelter back.

Your Excellency, we are all waiting to hear that our people have again started to live their normal lives. Give us a listening ear and save us from further agony.