Get Guardian on GoogleThe developer of Abba Court, on Mahogany Close, Osborne Foreshore Phase II Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, Chief Ken Okonha, has denied allegations that his company built on a canal, encroached on public land or carried out construction without permits.
The Chief Executive Officer of Kensha Group Limited, insisted that the controversy surrounding his development in Osborne Estate, Lagos, arose from a personal disagreement over access to a disputed gate.
Okonha, who spoke against allegations of land grabbing and the obstruction of drainage channels, said the disagreement involved an individual with whom he had a dispute over a gate near a transformer installed by his company.
“The allegation was made by somebody I had an issue with over the opening of a gate where I installed a transformer. It is an individual issue, not an estate problem,” he said.
He explained that the matter had been reported to Dolphin Police Station about three years ago, where the affected portion was identified as a setback. He also denied using the Federal Government to grab land, saying his company’s involvement was through a public-private partnership arrangement under a build, operate and transfer framework.
On allegations of building on a canal, Okonha insisted that the water channel passing through his property was not connected to the drainage system serving Osborne Estate.
“We did not build on a canal. We have contributed a lot to cleaning the canal. The canal they are talking about is not connected to anywhere. It is a canal that absorbs water from Ilubirin, not even Osborne,” he said.
He maintained that his company had contributed to infrastructure development in the estate for nearly 20 years, including constructing roads and improving drainage facilities. He said the entrance gate and road leading into the estate were built by him in 2006 for the Federal Government.
He also claimed to have spent N60 million on canal maintenance in 2026 and N100 million the previous year, adding that the work involved deploying long-reach excavators at a daily cost of about N1 million.
“The canal at the back was given to me to maintain when I started construction here by the Federal Ministry of Housing. I will provide all the payment records and the name of the company so that you can verify the expenditure,” he said.
Attributing the recurring flooding in Osborne to its low-lying terrain, inadequate drainage, land settlement and increasing development, Okonha said existing infrastructure could no longer accommodate the volume of water generated during heavy rainfall.
He proposed reconstructing the drainage system, creating reservoirs and installing industrial pumps to discharge excess water into the lagoon while preventing water from flowing back into the estate.
He disclosed that his company and the Federal Government had designed a proposal for the project and submitted it to the estate management, but funding concerns had delayed implementation.
Okonha also denied allegations that he used thugs or police officers to force open the disputed gate, insisting that the disagreement was a civil matter that should be resolved through the courts. He said he had complied with the state government’s directive to suspend activities at the disputed location pending resolution.
He further denied deliberately denying Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Hamzat, access to his property during his October 31 visit to assess the flooding situation. He said he was outside the country and had directed construction sites to close following a circular from the estate management.
Expressing concern that he was being unfairly blamed, Okonha urged residents, developers and estate managers to work together to address the flooding rather than seek a scapegoat.
