The Committee on Works, Housing and Infrastructure Development of the Lagos State Assembly yesterday visited the disputed site for the proposed 19.39km road to link up Ijedodo, Ijegun and Abule-Addo in Iba Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
The community had been agitated following the marking of many houses on the project’s Right of Way (RoW). Affected residents were irked by the development, which they described as a total deviation from what is in the original Ijegun-Ijedodo-Abule Ado model city plan 2010-2020 as approved by the state government.
One of the affected residents, Mr Young Abokitia, who spoke with journalists during a protest over the issue last week, said: “The master-plan of the state government had delineated a particular place for the road project, but what the land grabbers are trying to do is out of the original plan. They want to change it to where the NNPC pipelines are laid. This is wrong and dangerous.
“Since they marked our houses, we had taken frantic efforts to explain to the ‘Omoniles’ and written petition to the state government that prompted a visit by the State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA). There is no way the government would want to construct road on NNPC pipeline or near it.”
Another resident wondered why the government was bent on constructing the road close to the pipeline and away from the approved plan considering the experience of the deadly explosion in Ijegun years back that killed over 100 people when a road was being constructed in the area.
When the Lagos State House committee visited yesterday, the residents, led by their counsel, Mike Babalola, took the lawmakers round the disputed site through Ijegun-Ikotun roundabout and down to Ijedodo, towards Abule Ado.
At the conclusion of their inspection, the Committee Chairman on Works and Infrastructure, Nureni Akinsanya, said: “We have seen everywhere. We will go back and report to the House based on our findings. We will then send our findings to the government.”
Also, another lawmaker on the team, Desmond Elliot, advised property owners to come forward with their Cs-of-O and approved building plans through their lawyer.
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