LAUTECH land: Family renews plea for compensation, insists govt’s requirements have been met

The Agunbiade family of Isale-Afon, Ogbomoso, has renewed its appeal to Oyo State government to pay compensation for ancestral land acquired for the establishment of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.

In a statement by the family’s spokesman, Chief Adewole Adesina, the family said its land, along with those of other families, was taken over by the old Oyo State government around 1990 for the establishment of the university. More than three decades later, the family lamented that no compensation has been paid to the original landowners.

According to the statement, about 400 acres of land belonging to the Agunbiade family were affected by the acquisition. The family described the land as an ancestral inheritance handed down by their forebears, stressing that its loss has had lasting economic and emotional consequences for family members.

The family urged the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene especially in the light of compensation reportedly paid to Osun State following the dissolution of the joint ownership of LAUTECH in 2020. They noted that Osun State was said to have received about ₦8 billion as compensation, questioning why host communities and land-owning families were left out for decades.

They argued that if a government entity could be compensated, fairness and justice demanded that private families whose lands were compulsorily acquired should also be duly paid.

The Agunbiade family further disclosed that it had complied with all requirements laid down by the Oyo State Ministry of Lands in pursuit of compensation.

These, according to them, included conducting a proper land survey, submitting a formal application, and providing a detailed list of economic trees and other items affected by the acquisition. Based on official assessments, the family said the estimated value of its land stands at about ₦2 billion.

Despite fulfilling these conditions, the family said their efforts had so far yielded no positive result, a situation they described as disheartening.

“We are praying and pleading that Governor SeyiMakinde should pay us our due compensation. Some of our family members have died since we renewed our request. Government should not allow their efforts and hopes to be in vain,” the statement added.