As government, party clash over sales of housing properties
The Labour Party has threatened to institute legal action against the Ogun State Government over claims of alleged sales of government-owned assets, including the Ibara Housing Estate and properties under the State Housing Corporation.
The party warned that it would engage its lawyer, Prof. Yemi Oke (SAN), who has been briefed about the development, to initiate legal proceedings if calls for the stoppage of the alleged sales of the housing properties are ignored by the state government.
LP and the state government are locked in a war of words over claims of the sale of state-owned properties, particularly the Ibara Housing Estate and assets within the State Housing Corporation.
The party, through its National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Com. Abayomi Arabambi, accused the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration of allegedly selling off public housing properties built with taxpayers’ funds, saying such acts would mortgage the future of the state.
Arabambi, in a statement made available to journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital, described the alleged sale of the state-owned housing assets as “reckless” and an assault on the state’s heritage, insisting that such decisions would sabotage the future of affordable housing in the state.
He condemned the alleged sale of the Ibara Housing Estate, calling it “an assault on Ogun State’s shared legacy,” and alleged that the estates, initially intended for civil servants and ordinary citizens, were being handed over to private entities through secretive and unfair deals.
He contended that the State Housing Corporation, created almost 50 years ago to tackle housing shortages, was being undermined through the plundering of its assets, expressing shock that no well-meaning citizens, labour unions, the leadership of the State Assembly, or traditional institutions were consulted before steps were taken to allegedly sell off the assets.
The party’s National Vice Chairman appealed to notable personalities in the state, including former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and former Governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba, to prevail on Governor Dapo Abiodun to stop the alleged sales of the public housing properties.
However, in a swift reaction yesterday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, dismissed the claims of the party, insisting that Arabambi lacked knowledge of how government was being run on developmental projects.
Akinmade maintained that the government’s urban renewal programme had transformed Government Reserved Areas statewide, earning accolades from prominent Nigerians such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Wole Soyinka, ex-governor Olusegun Osoba, and the Alake of Egbaland.
He clarified that urban renewal entails revamping cities and giving them a fresh look, noting that the development of modern housing projects along major corridors was in line with international best practices.
“The problem with Arabambi is his gross ignorance of governance. Perhaps he has never worked in government,” the SA said.
Akinmade, therefore, opined that the programme’s beneficiaries were Ogun indigenes who understood its intent and worth, stressing that the urban renewal initiative aimed to bring cities up to date, not sell off public assets.
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