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Magodo Land Dispute: Sanwo-Olu To Allocate Fresh Land To 549 Judgement Creditors

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has made known the outcome of the meeting held with the concerned people on the land dispute at Magodo Estate.

This was contained in a statement released by the Govenror via his official Facebook account as read in part:

“Today, in the pursuit of an amicable resolution to the outstanding matter of the Magodo land dispute, I chaired a meeting with the Judgment Creditors (Shangisha Landlords’ Association), their lawyers, Commissioner of Police Lagos State Command, Policemen from the F.C.T Command and Police Headquarters, the Executive and Trustees of the Magodo Residents’ Association and senior Government Officials on the enforcement of Judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on the 10th of February 2012.

“The meeting deliberated and agreed upon the following resolutions as follows:

“All the parties agreed to an amicable resolution of the matter and I thanked everyone for attending and restated our resolve to ensure that peace returns to Magodo and that there is justice for all.

  1. “That the Committee set up by the State Government to resolve the Magodo dispute, chaired by the Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, is to meet with the Judgment Creditors (Shangisha Landlords’ Association) on Friday 7th of January 2022.
  2. The Surveyor- General of Lagos State, Permanent Secretary Lands Bureau and Hon. Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development are to immediately identify available plots of land within the Shangisha village scheme.
  3. The Committee is also to identify how the available plots of land are to be accessed and if any infrastructural development is necessary to access the land.
  4. Upon identification of available and accessible land, the State Government is to immediately allocate the land to the 549 Judgment Creditors.
  5. In the event that there is no available and accessible land within the Shangisha village scheme to allocate to all the 549 Judgment Creditors, the State Government, in agreement with the Judgment Creditors, will provide alternative plots of land.
  6. Whilst this exercise is ongoing, the Nigeria Police are to restrain themselves from any conduct or action that may instigate violence or breakdown of law and order in Magodo. They should be keepers of peace and act within the confines of the law – always.

I am convinced that with the step we have taken this lingering problem will be permanently solved and justice would have been done to all parties”.

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Veteran Nollywood Actress, Sidikat Odukanwi (Iyabo Oko) Dies

Veteran actress, Sidikat Odukanwi, popularly known as Iyabo Oko is dead. She died Wednesday evening.

Actress Foluke Daramola-Salako confirmed her death.

She wrote on her Instagram page: “and finally we lost her.. rip Iyabo Oko, we did our best but God knows best”

Also Sidikat’s daughter Bisi Aisha, a female soldier, confirmed her death.

She said: “May ur soul Rest In Peace mummy”

The 61-year-old actress before her demise, battled with ill-health which caused her to take a long break from the movie scene.

She was born on the 15th of November 1960 in Iwo Local Government Area of Osun State.

Sidikat had stage names such as “Iyabo Oko” “Apoti Aje” Sisi Mama”.

Last year, one of her daughters, Olamide, disclosed that her mother was diagnosed with ischaemic stroke about five years ago but kept her health issues away from the public.

Yoruba Nollywood stars including Foluke Daramola, Iyabo Ojo, Bolaji Amusan, Mercy Aigbe and Biodun Okeowo, others assisted financially in the past.

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Ogun Bans Usage Of Phones By Students In Schools, Charges Teachers On Proper Monitoring

The Ogun state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology has announced that students are not allowed to bring phones to school anymore, calling on teachers’ to monitor them to ensure that they don’t bring phones to classes.

Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu stated this at a press briefing held at ministry conference room, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta on Tuesday.

The Commissioner explained that the advantage of phones cannot be underestimated especially in this time of serious security issues.

Prof. Arigbabu said the reasons students are advised not to bring their phones into school is because phones serve students differently but mostly to disadvantage.

He said: “On the issue of phone in school, what we ordinarily advised is that it will actually distract the students. Teachers will be teaching them and some people will be looking at phones and going to different sites to do nonsense.

“That is why it is actually not encouraged for students to bring phone to class. If they have phones, they can actually put it in their bags and at the close of the day, they can bring it out.”

He added: “But how do we know they don’t bring it out. That is why teachers need monitor them to ensure that they don’t bring phones to classes.

“Phone has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, if a student is having problem, he/she can make a distress call. But what we are saying is that we won’t allow a student to bring phone to the class to distract you from listening to lessons.

“That is the way we want to deal with phones in school.”

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Ekiti Gov, Fayemi Pays Unscheduled Visit To Workers At Secretariat Complex

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said more workers in the State employment would start working virtually as part of safety measures being put in place to guard against the spread of the new covid-19 variant, Omicron.

Dr Fayemi disclosed this on Wednesday when he paid an unscheduled visit to workers at the State Secretariat Complex in Ado Ekiti, the State capital. He said one of the opportunities in the adversity of Covid-19 is that more workers in the state would learn to work smarter with the aid of modern technology.

The visit, which also witnessed the distribution of new office furniture to state officials, according to the Governor, was meant to felicitate with workers in the New Year and to pay attention to issues that can serve as challenges to their performances in 2022.

Governor Fayemi maintained that a lot of development had taken place in the secretariat with landscaping and completion of more buildings to create more space for office accommodation. He added that adequate preparation had been made in all the offices to ensure compliance with covid-19 safety protocols.

“We ensured that adequate provision were made for the covid-19 protocols in the various offices, but what is important now is they are back and in coming back we still owe a duty of protection to them in their various offices that’s partly why I have to go round to see what is going on for myself.

“It is a new year, it is a new dawn and it is a year of fulfilment as we have described it and we pray that our workers would be imbued with the enthusiasm and the commitment to work smarter and work harder. Smarter because in the age of Covid, we worked virtually now, at the level of the Executive council, all our executive council meetings are being held virtually, we still meet every week but we meet virtually because we now have a new variant of covid-19 which is even mutating faster than the previous variants that we have had.

“Spending too much time physically within the same space is not the most advisable but in that adversity there is opportunity, many of our people will learn to work virtually and to work a lot more away from their physical space in a way that protect their wellbeing and health care.”, he added.

The Governor who was accompanied by the Head of Service, Mrs Peju Babafemi; the Chief of Staff, Biodun Omoleye; Overseer, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Evang. Folusho Daramola; some leaders of the organized labour in Ekiti and top government officials was received by the Commissioner for Information and Values Orientation, Barr Akinbowale Omole, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Alhaja Maryam Ogunlade and Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Dr (Mrs) Bimpe Aderiye at their respective ministries.

Other offices visited included the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Pension Commission, Ministry of Land and Housing, among others.

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OPINION: Magodo Estate Residents And Illegally Acquired Land ~ By Celestine Mel

MAGODO ESTATE RESIDENTS MUST VACATE THEIR ILLEGALLY ACQUIRED LAND. IT IS THE ONLY WAY OUT

By: Celestine Mel

The false narrative in social media regarding the police action in Magodo Estate Lagos confirms that indeed, the media can be truly manipulated to mobilize citizens against authorities especially by those who have the means and the power to do so. The insinuation that the police were in Lagos illegally or that the scene wherein Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu personally went to question the presence of policemen in Magodo Estate in negation of his role as the CSO of Lagos State, and a confirmation that indeed the Nigerian structure is defective, does not apply itself to the facts of the matter. It’s a matter I have taken time to research on, and I dare say, the Governor of Lagos is an interested party in the entire shameful display of lawlessness in Magodo.

By obstructing the police from executing a valid order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, it is clear that the big web of conspiracy to hinder law enforcement from carrying out its job, would never give up until the last blood is drawn. It is the height of our collective descend into anarchy.

This is what I know of the matter and why I made the statement above.

A military governor in the 1980s forcefully and deceitfullly evicted lawful residents and land owners in the magodo area of Lagos from their ancestral lands under the cover of public interest, claiming that government wanted to build an international hospital in the land. No compensation was paid. The victims watched helplessly as the government instead converted the land to an housing estate, shared among friends and families of their cronies and elites. The victims approached the court to seek redress. The court issued an injunction to stop all parties from further development of the land during the pendency of the matter. Lagos State government then (as usual) ignored the injunction. Development of the land into Magodo estate continued. Until the matter was finally settled by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2012.

In the final judgement, the Supreme court restored the rights of the Magodo Landlords Association over the land and awarded cost against the Lagos State Government. It also directed the litigants to repossess their land.

This judgement of the Supreme Court was ignored by Lagos State and the illegal occupants of the estate continued to stay. The landlords association, unable to execute the court directive, went back to ask for help from the Supreme Court. Rather than obey the last court in the land, Lagos State similarly further went to a High Court to initiate another process to stop the execution of the order of the Supreme Court. The government went further to invite the judgement creditors for a negotiated settlement. It offered them replacement land in Epe LGA. The creditors refused the offer and insisted that the order of the Supreme Court should be obeyed and Magodo should be vacated. Lagos refused to give effect to the judgement . There was a stalemate.

At the Supreme Court The litigants further approached the Supreme Court the IGP wsd directed to enforce the judgement to enable the litigants repossess their land.

Above is the reason policemen were mobilized from force hq Abuja to accompany the judgement creditors to repossess their land in Magodo. On getting there, the occupants of the property who by the Court order are presently deemed as illegal occupants, staged a firece resistance against the police. They barricaded the estate, mobilized themselves into a strong army to resist attempts by the police to enforce an order of the Supreme Court. They have feigned victims and are using all sorts of tactics to stall the execution of the order. We have to note that the same residents previously used their connection within the society and government at different levels to stall the execution of the Court order from 2012 to date.

And if I may ask, what sort of country would we have if a judgement of the Supreme Court – the highest court in the land, cannot be executed because powerful people are involved? Between the illegal occupants and the restored owners of the property, who shoukd indeed cry of being wrongly treated? Did we take a look at that old blind man yesterday? He must have been lucky to be alive. Others I learnt have died seeking justice over the Magodo matter. The police is absolutely right to have gone to that place to give teeth to the order of the highest court in the land. Unfortunately, those who illegally coveted the land are the ones crying victim today while the police which is doing its job is being hounded.

The only remedy available to the Lagis State Government is to relocate the illegal occupants of the estate to another place so that the judgement creditors may take their rightful property. All the theatrics and rigmaroles including seeking injunction in a high court and inviting parties to settlement is diversionary. It is an exercise in futility. The judgement of the Supreme Court MUST be enforced to the fullest at a heavy cost to those who created the mess.

The Magodo matter should be a lesson for those who believe in absolute power. There comes a time when Daniel would come to judgement. That time is now for the hapless citizens who invested billions in the illegality called Magodo Estate.

This has nothing to do with the structure of Nigeria. Don’t fall for that propaganda.

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Ladoja Absent As 10 Kingmakers Converge At Mapo Hall, Declare Lekan Balogun As Olubadan-Designate

The kingmakers who are high chiefs excluding former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja have converged at Mapo Hall to declare Senator Lekan Balogun, Otun of Ibadanland, as the next Olubadan of Ibadan.

The kingmakers said that there is no court case stopping them from appointing the new Olubadan, adding that the administration of late former governor Abiola Ajimobi did not tamper with the Ibadan chieftaincy declaration of 1957 by elevating them.

The declaration is also affirmed via a press briefing made available to the journalists by the council as highlighted below.

TEXT OF THE PRESS BRIEFING DELIVERED BY HIGH CHIEF LEKAN BALOGUN, THE OTUN OLUBADAN OF IBADANLAND AT MAPO PALACE ON 5TH JANUARY 2022 ON THE DEMISE OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, THE LATE OLUBADAN OF IBADANLAND KABIYESI, OBA SALIU ADETUNJI AKANMU, AJE OGUNGUNISO 1.
It is with gratitude to the Almighty God that I welcome you all here today in order to apprise ourselves with the latest development in the City of Ibadan.
One, as a bonafide indigene of Ibadanland, there is a natural need for me to join you in commiserating with the family of the late Oba on the sudden home call of our Kabiyesi, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, Aje Ogunguniso II the late Olubadan of Ibadanland.

Two, by way of duty, as the Prime Minister of the Olubadan-in-Council, we owe the people of Ibadanland and Oyo State in general the obligations to inform and update you all on the latest development at our Palace.
It is no longer news that our much-referred Kabiyesi, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, Aje Ogunguniso II the Olubadan of Ibadanland has joined his ancestors. It is my prayer that the Almighty God to whom all mortals shall return will accept his home call, forgive his sins and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus. May his gentle soul continue to rest in perfect peace.

The good deeds he had done in respect of his dedication and commitment to the promotion and sustenance of peace and development of Ibadanland and Oyo State, in general, shall remain indelible in the hearts of our people.
He was a peace-loving and outstanding custodian of culture and tradition who held on strictly to the principles of excellent leadership. He would forever be remembered for his consistency and tenacity of purpose in whatever he believed would advance the course of Ibadanland.
He has come, served and had gone like everyone before him. And so will everyone at his own time. I pray the Almighty Allah to continue to protect the family he left behind.

I also wish to commiserate with the Chief Mourner, the Execute Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Engineer Oluwaseyi Abiodun Makinde and members of his Cabinet who had been privileged to interact and intimately relate with the late Kabiyesi to sustain the peace and development of Oyo State.

There is no doubting the fact that Your Excellency would surely miss the late Oba if only for his fatherly counsels on matters of administrative importance to the State
My heartfelt condolence message also extends to the entire Royal Dignitaries of the Olubadan-in-Council as well as the members of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) on the sudden demise of the late Kabiyesi and I pray that the Almighty Allah grants you all the fortitude to bear the loss.

Finally, I wish to commiserate with the peace-loving people of Ibadanland on the sudden transition to an eternity of the late great Monarch and I enjoin you all to remain peaceful in all your conducts in order to sustain our unequalled historical peaceful co-existence for which Ibadanland is globally known.

I, therefore, enjoin you all to discard all unfounded rumours and insinuations capable of disturbing the peace of Ibadanland, irrespective of the quarter from which such fake news emanate.

In line with the traditional practice of Ibadanland when an occasion like this arises, the Olubadan-in-Council has been up and doing liaising with the Oyo State Government to ensure that every necessary step to sustain the peace of the City is strictly followed.

I thank you all for the expressions of affection and genuine love you have shown to the family of the late Kabiyesi. The New Year will bring unto your doorsteps the peace and prosperity you all deserve.
Once again, on behalf of myself, the Ali Iwo family and the entire members of the highly referred members of the Olubadan-in-Council, I pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of the late Kabiyesi.
Mo ki yin eku ara feraku o, Esi ku Aseyinde.
Ojo a jina si ara won o. Amin
I thank you all.

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Police Officer’s Disrespect To Sanwo-Olu An Unacceptable Intrusion – Southwest Governors

We are in possession of a video which has gone viral on the social media concerning the disgraceful exchange between a police officer, a CSP, and the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwoolu, the supposed Chief Security Officer of the State, at the Magodo Residential Estate.

The content of the video is very disconcerting, and this is being charitable. The utter disrespect, which underlines the response of the officer to the Governor establishes, beyond doubt, the impracticability of the current system, dubiously christened “Federalism”. An arrangement, which compels the Governor of a State to seek clarifications on security issues in his jurisdiction from totally extraneous bodies or persons, is a sure recipe for anarchy.

We condemn, very strongly, this brazen assault on decency. We call on the IG to explain the justification for this intrusion. This is not acceptable. Any expectations of rapprochement between so called federating units and federal security agencies are becoming forlorn, progressively, due to deliberate acts which mock our very avowal to ethics and professionalism.

We condemn, in very clear terms, the role of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami SAN in this act of gross moral turpitude.

We, on our part, will continue to interrogate the current system, which treats elected representatives of the people as mere prefects, while appointed office holders ride rough shod over them as Lords of the Manor. If the purported Chief Security Officers of the States of the Federation require clearance from the office of the IG on matters within their areas of jurisdictions, only hypocrites will wonder why the current security crisis deepens and there appears to be no solution in the foreseeable future.

We stand by our brother, the Governor of Lagos State. We advise him to deploy the Regional security outfit in the State to protect the lives and property of the people.

We call on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to rein in the excesses of certain elements bent on acting in a manner capable of eroding the bond of trust existing between the people and the Federal Government. It is preposterous for political appointees to seek to undermine the very structure of service upon which their appointments rest.

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Physical Fitness: Alaafin Embarks On Public Work Session

Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, the 83-year-old Alaafin of Oyo, has embarked on a public work session in a bid to stay fit and healthy.

On Monday, January 3rd, 2022, the Alaafin, who works out regularly in his palace, had a light work-out session at the boxing ring arena of the Durbar Stadium, in Oyo Town.

“It is important for one to look after his health and body because from cradle to the grave, it is all you have got and your main task is care for it,” the Oyo king, who was an ardent boxer in his younger days, stated during the session.

“Light workout is good and an essential part of healthy living for a healthy heart,” he further said.

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Gov Sanwo-Olu Visits Magodo Estate, Invites All Parties For Talks Over Land Dispute

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has waded into the lingering land dispute in Magodo Phase Two Estate.

The governor visited the estate on Tuesday and invited all parties involved for a meeting in his office tomorrow, Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Magodo residents had staged a protest over the presence of policemen in the estate.

Court bailiffs had also sealed some properties in the estate in the enforcement of a Supreme Court judgement.

The residents during the protest converged in front of the estate and displayed various placards lamenting over the situation and seeking the Lagos State government’s intervention.

Chairman of the Estate, Bajo Osinubi lamented that despite earlier intervention by the governor armed policemen have remained adding that residents had been living in fear as the policemen move around with their weapons.

Invasion, Planned Demolition

Earlier in December, some police officers said to have been accompanied by hoodlums arrived at the estate with bulldozers.

The hoodlums marked some houses in the estate with an inscription which reads ‘ID/795/88 possession taken today 21/12/2021 by court order’ in what appeared to be a move to demolish the marked houses.

In a move against this, members of the Magodo Residents’ Association (MRA) locked up the gates leading to the exit and entry points of the estate in a bid to resist what they described as “forceful takeover”.

Following the intervention of the Lagos government, the police withdrew and normalcy returned to the estate the next day.

The Lagos State government condemned the attempt to demolish structures in the estate and promised to investigate.

Attorney-General of Lagos, Moyosore Onigbanjo said upon investigation those any person found culpable will be prosecuted.

He said the government was concerned that the landowners, under the Shangisha Landlord Association led by one Chief Adebayo Adeyiga, misled the Nigeria Police in an attempt to execute a judgment of the Supreme Court, notwithstanding the pending appeal against the issuance of a warrant of possession by the then Chief Judge of Lagos

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