The management of Masters Reality International Concepts Limited, a real estate developer has appealed to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to set up an independent panel of enquiry into the demolition of its propstate erty and the alarm it raised over abuse of power against some government officials.
The firm had in the petition written against Mr. Owolabi Arole signed by its solicitor, head of legal department, Chukwuka Okolo, urged the governor to revisit its petition and carry out full scale investigation into allegations of threat to life and abuse of power after the demolition of its property located at iju road in Agege area of the state by the state government taskforce.
The solicitor in the petition alleged that,’’ On 20th January, 2020, Mr. Owolabi Arole, the Coordinator of Lagos State Taskforce on Land grabbers demolished their property at 63 Road Agege Lagos State because we refused to accede to his demands for a bribe, Just few weeks before the said demolition’’
Dwelling on the import of the petition at a press conference on Monday in Lagos, the Group Managing Director Mr. Lai Omotola urged the governor to intervene in the land dispute because of deliberate efforts being made by certain government officials to sweep the matter under the carpet.
According to him, despite the fact that an investigative panel was set up in that regard, headed by the Solicitor General of Lagos State, Mrs Shitta Bey, till date the report of the investigation has not been made public.
He alleged that the Attorney General of the state has gone to the extent of using a forged police document to file a criminal case against him in the court.
In a response to the petition obtained by newsmen from the office of the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry Of Justice signed by Iyiola Gbadamosi for, Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary said a comprehensive investigation has been carried out in respect of all the issues raised in the aforementioned petition.
It said, ‘’The petitioner Mr. Lai Omotola of Master’s Reality International Concepts Limited, could not substantiate the allegations leveled by him against Mr. Owolabi Arole, the Coordinator of Lagos State Special Task Force on Land Grabber or any other Officer of the State government.
‘’We have also reviewed the present petition and no new facts or issues have been raised to warrant re-investigation of the petition by this office.’’
Court Grants Lawyer Leave To Sue Lagos Over N10bn COVID-19 Support Fund
BY OLUGBENGA SOYELE, Lagos
Justice Tijjani Ringim of the Federal High Court in Lagos has granted a lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, permission to seek an order of mandamus to compel Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to make public the breakdown of expenses and expenditures on the N10 billion given to the state by the Federal Government as COVID-19 intervention funds.
Ogungbeje had dragged the governor and the Lagos State government before the court seeking an order of mandamus compelling the Lagos State government, to perform their official and statutory duty, by providing information and publication of the breakdown of expenses and expenditures on the N10 billion Covid-19 Intervention Funds released to them by the federal government.
The lawyer, who filed the suit pursuant to the Freedom of information Act, is also asking the court for an order convicting Governor Sanwo-Olu and the State government, as defaulting officers, to pay the fine of N10 million, for wrongful denying him of the access to the information.
He sought a declaration that the refusal of the governor and the Lagos State government, to furnish the applicant with the information on the breakdown of expenses and expenditures on the Funds and other sundry donations with written notice to the applicant, is a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Freedom of information Act 2011.
In verifying affidavit in support of the ex parte application, Ogungbeje, who described himself as the executive director of Coalition for Good Governance in Nigeria, stated that sometimes between December 2019 and February 2020, coronavirus otherwise known as COVID-19 engulfed and plagued several counties including Nigeria and that concerted and commendable efforts were made by governments of countries including the federal government to stem the tide of the COVID-19 killer virus.
He stated that sometime in March 2020, the Federal Government released the huge sum of N10 billion Naira to the first and second respondents in a bid to provide palliative and to fight the Coronavirus pandemic in Lagos State.
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