The Chairman of Community Development Association (CDA), Ilasan Housing Estate, Alhaji Akeem Sabitu Ayinde, has said that the CDA and the entire leaders of Ilasan Housing Estate in Eti-Osa Local Council of Lagos State are not in custody of the N80m that was said to have been released by the Lagos State Governor through the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tokunbo Wahab for the people, whose houses were demolished for the coastal road in the estate.
Speaking at the Lagos State House of Assembly after a meeting with government officials on the way forward to the pitiable situation of the estate, he said that he and his executive were not in custody of the money that was said to have been released after the demolition of the shanties in Ghana School and in the estate.
He said that Ghana School that was recently demolished for the coastal road was not part of the government allocation in the estate.
“When we first came in 1990, that place was not like that. What was given to us were the buildings in Ilasan Housing Estate, but we found out that some people that were given allocation papers, but there were no buildings for them, were advised to erect emergency structures. Some people also went into Ghana School and started building on a virgin land. They were supposed to know that one day the owner of the land would come for their land.”
He recalled that recently when the government wanted to build the coastal road, it paid compensation to some residents living in Ghana School. Each person was given N150,000 before their houses were demolished. “They asked them to get the money and move out but some of them still used the N150,00 to rebuild on the land. By the time they came to demolish the houses for the coastal road, the residents were appealing for more time. We told them the interest of the public would override their personal interest. That was why we told them that the place was going to be demolished after a seven-day notice.”
He regretted that unfortunately, by the time the demolition was carried out, the people used the opportunity to cross into Ilasan Housing Estate….”
He recalled that the money was said to have been released by the Commissioner for the Environment for the people that were living in the shanties. “That was what was aired. The people living in the shanties have their own committee. They called me that this is what they heard and I said that is what I heard too. That what I want them to do is to go on air and counter what the commissioner aired because a lot of them heard it. If all of them can come out and say yes we heard that money was released to us but we the people the people that the money was meant for are yet to receive it. Because they are thinking that their leaders are the ones they gave that money to.
“But I have no skeleton in my cupboard, likewise other leaders in the estate. We have no skeleton in our cupboard. That is why we came here today. We thought that the commissioner will be here so that we can talk to him on one on one: That we heard you saying something how come about the money? Who did you give the money to? Most of the fingers were pointing on us. Assuming we collected the money we will not be here today. We will be hiding. I want to get to the bottom of the matter. I myself stay in attachment too.
He regretted that most of the buildings in the estate have become dilapidated and they want to know whether the state government is going to compensate them or rehabilitate the estate for them “but what we are asking for is for them to rehabilitate the estate for us because we don’t want to lose that place.”
