Yaba SMEs urge LASG to sign MoU before ejecting them

Owners of small and medium enterprises at the Yaba Industrial Estate, Sabo area of Lagos have called on the State government through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them on their welfare before being ejected.

The entrepreneurs said although they are industrial tenants of the Lagos State government, the idea of relocating them to another place should be backed up by an MoU on their welfare and not a verbal submission as done by Ibile holdings.

The SMEs operators were served a notice of takeover of their premises by Ibile Holdings following the submission of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode that he wants to construct a technology hub in the premises and plans to relocate them to Imota, in Ikorodu.

Chairman of the Yaba Industrial Estate Occupants Association, Mukaila Adeosun, said although they understand the need for technology as the future of any serious nation, they, however, believed that their relocation should not be an issue now as it had been settled in an out of court agreement in 2010.

Adeosun said this at a meeting with Ibile Holdings, held at the estate with the Director of the Ministry, Lekan Odanbono.

He said the relocation notice ought to have come from the Ministry and not from Ibile Holdings, which was a rude shock to them hence their reply to the company that they do not recognise them.

Secretary of the Estate, Alaba Bamgbose, said they plead with Ibile Holdings to sign an agreement not to disturb them from doing their work until the place where they would be relocated is ready and allocated to them.

She said the Imota area was orally given to them and not written down and since government is a continuum, it won’t serve them well to base their faith on oral agreement and not a written agreement by both parties.

Managing Director of Ibile Holdings, Abiodun Amokomowo, said he understood the plight of the manufacturers but they should know that life was subject to changes as this was the era of technology and not manufacturing.

Amokomowo said the residents would not be disturbed, as more meetings will be held on the matter.