.. raises alarm over land grabbers activities on permanent site
The leadership of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ogun State Council has raised alarm over clandestine moves being made by some unscrupulous elements said to have been retired and serving staff of Federal Ministry of Works and Housing allegedly doing all that is possible to dispose off its Secretariat, popularly called Iwe Iroyin at Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta for N350m
The Chairman of Ogun NUJ, Comr Wale Olanrewaju has equally disclosed that the duo of one Prince Gbenga Olusoga and one Engr Lekan Banjoko have also encroached on the one acre of land at Leme, Abeokuta behind the Providence Hotel allocated to the union since 1987.
Comr. Olanrewaju revealed this during a world press conference held on Wednesday at Iwe Iroyin, Ogun NUJ secretariat, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta.
He explained that someone recently approached him and urged him to cooperate with them as they were ready to give him mouth watering offer including a fat sum of money, a duplex and one of the best cars in town once he wouldn’t serve as any impediment to their plan of selling the the NUJ secretariat at Iwe Iroyin for a whopping sum of N350m.
He said he had rejected the offer and told the person sent to him in plain word that the property is not for sale and that the union won’t take it lightly with anyone who wants to carry out such illegality.
Olanrewaju explained that about two or three years ago, one Surv Bajo had put up the property for sale in Punch newspaper but the leadership of the union had reached out to him and the idea was dropped only for some people to now be looking for how to coerced him to join them in disposing off the choice property.
He explained that the union had also discovered the activities of some landgrabbers on its one acre of land around Leme, Abeokuta behind Providence Hotel which was said to have been allocated to the union since 1987.
He alleged that one Prince Gbenga Olusoga and Engr Lekan Banjoko are the brain behind this illegality.
Olanrewaju explained that the former governor of the state, Chief Segun Osoba had presented the Certificate of Occupancy of the land to the union during his tenure.
He said it was however unfortunate to found out that because the land had been lying fallow for a long time, Prince Olusoga allegedly in connivance with others had been trying to take over the property.
The NUJ Chairman said “Prince Olusoga, in flagrant disregard to NUJ ownership of the land, rented out our land to mechanics, panel beaters and the rest, collecting money and feeding fat where he did not sow.
“For the records, the said land has a genuine Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) openly and proudly presented by Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State while in office.
“Our current space popularly called and known Iwe Irohin christened after the first newspaper publication in Nigeria by Reverend Henry Townsend is currently under siege by some greedy individuals who are retired and serving staff of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing!
“Some years ago, the space allocated in honour of journalists and the progenitor of journalism, Reverend Henry Townsend since 1992, was put up for sale by one Surveyor Bajo who retired from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing”
Olanrewaju has therefore called on Gov Dapo Abiodun to call on these individuals encroaching on the NUJ properties to back off as the union won’t fold its hands and allow its properties to be taken over by these alleged landgrabbers.
He said “journalists in the State is using this platform to call on the Governor, Chief Security Adviser and all security agencies to call these two undesirable elements to order by instructing them to henceforth stop any form of incursion, trespassing and encroachment on this land as it is in no way available for any use as it belongs to the Ogun NUJ”.
Effort made to contact these individuals for their reaction has however proved abortive