Oyo to revoke lands without proper documents

The Oyo State Government has urged the people of the state to ensure that they have updated land documents so as not to have their lands revoked or property demolished.

Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Abiodun Abdu-Raheem, who stated this while on duty tour to various sites owned by the state government in Ibadan yesterday, said the present administration was interested in the issue of lands across the state for proper documentation and accessibility.

‘This is the right time for good people of Oyo State to know that things should be done in the proper manner. Anyone that does not have an up-to-date document should do so because the ministry would be paying an unscheduled visit to various sites to check if the sites have genuine approval.

“If there is any infraction whatsoever from anyone on the sites visited, the person would face the full wrath of the law as the present administration is not out to witch-hunt anybody but to enforce law and order and to ensure that proper approval is given before construction on sites is being carried out,” he explained.

The commissioner, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary and some directors of the ministry, served a stop-work notice to the contractors handling the construction of some houses at Mami Market, Agodi, GRA and a Water Corporation Building at Jericho and also asked the contractors to report at the ministry with necessary documents for the construction of the site.

The team also visited the industrial park as well as a free trade zone along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to assess the lands in the area.

Meanwhile, Abdu-Raheem, who paid a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor of Technical University, Ibadan, assured the institution of government’s readiness to assist in the provision of adequate space of land as the present administration is interested in the development of the education sector.

Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ayobami Salami, appreciated the Seyi Makinde-led administration for its support on adequate security, stressing that the university is facing security challenges because of the porosity of the villages surrounding the institution.

However, a group of people from Temidire, Bako area of Odo-Ona in Ibadan, had earlier protested at the ministry to express their grievances over encroachment of the area by some hoodlums making life unbearable for people of the area.

The commissioner assured them of immediate action, as the government will not condone disturbance of people on their land.