Gbenga Daniel: It’s an act of executive recklessness
Ogun Govt: It’s an illegal structure. It contravened our laws.
The former governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Daniel, and the Ogun State government had a disagreement regarding the demolition of a plaza owned by the former governor’s wife.
Senator Daniel criticized the demolition of his wife’s property in Ijebu Ode, calling it an act of executive recklessness and lawlessness. However, the state government stated that the plaza violated the state’s physical planning laws.
On Sunday, agents of the Ogun state government demolished the DATKEM plaza in Ijebu Ode, which belonged to the former first lady of the state, Olufunke Daniel.
In a statement from his lawyer, Mr. Adeyinka Kotote, SAN, of PAGE Law office, Senator Daniel maintained that the state government had disregarded court papers served to its agents on September 7, which had requested them to halt any actions regarding the building.
The statement explained, “This issue began when the Ogun State Planning and Development Authority sealed the building on August 1 without prior notice. Surprisingly, a notice to vacate the premises within three days was only served on August 31 by the same Planning and Development Authority.”
“DATKEM applied for the unsealing and regularization of the building on August 2 and paid the required fee of N500,000 to the Ogun state government. We have evidence of this payment. However, we were shocked that the Ogun state government ignored the ongoing legal process and proceeded to demolish the complex early on Sunday. We believe the advice of the State Attorney General was disregarded in this matter.”
“Our clients, as law-abiding citizens of Ogun state, will continue to seek justice in the courts. Despite suffering significant losses due to this unlawful demolition, we remain committed to pursuing justice through legal means.”
DATKEM is an illegal structure – State Government
In response to the situation, the State government issued a statement through Olayiwola Abiodun, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development. The statement explained that the structure in question had multiple defects and violated the state’s building codes.
Abiodun noted that the government had made numerous attempts to stop further development on the site, but these efforts were disregarded by the developers.
According to the statement, DATKEM Enterprises Limited had applied for an office building along Ibadan Road, Ijebu Ode, in 2009, with registration number CB/05/299/2009. The initial proposal was for a five-story building with specific measurements for airspaces and setbacks.
However, during routine monitoring, it was observed that the construction on the site deviated from the approved plan, with changes in airspaces and setbacks. Additionally, the building had been modified and enlarged, leading to over-density.
To address these issues, the government took the following actions:
- Issued a Contravention notice with Serial No. 0106983 on May 24, 2022.
- Issued a Stop Work Order with Serial No. 000623 on May 24, 2022.
- Issued another Stop Work Order with Serial No. 001065 on July 22, 2022, when the first notice was ignored.
- Issued a Demolition Notice with Serial No. 0007549 on October 11, 2022.
- Issued a Notice to seal with Serial No. 000815 on October 4, 2022.
- Re-sealed the site on August 1, 2023. However, construction work continued despite the sealing.
- The developer submitted an appeal for unsealing, which was considered to allow for the removal of belongings from the premises.
- Finally, a quit notice with Serial No. 0030750 was served on August 31, 2023.
In light of the developer’s persistent non-compliance with regulations, the recommendation from the Zonal Town Planning Office for the demolition of the office building was upheld.
