By Ade Adebayo
I have not for a long time done any piece on any leader in Nigeria because as a rule I believe in objective reality.
It will be very unfair to make comments on what you don’t understand especially how government runs.
But as much as I resisted the urge to write about those in government, I feel compelled to call the chairman of the Agege Local Government Council in Lagos State out for very obvious reasons.
The young man seems to be playing out the script of A.V Dicey who postulated years ago that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Currently running his second term in office, Alhaji Ganiyu Egunjobi, Chairman of Agege local government seems to have chosen a very unusual way by which he would be remembered.
I first got to read of him through a This Day Newspaper report of August 3, 2024.
In the story, the Board of Trustees and the current executive of Ijaiye Medium Income Housing Estate Development Association, LSDPC Phase 1, Agege, Lagos State, had accused him of threatening the peace and security within the estate.
My first reaction was how on earth will the LG chairman threaten peace ?
He was elected by the people to keep the peace.
The association noted according to the report that his actions have repeatedly disrupted the peace and security of the estate.
They stated that while government was constructing the Pen Cinema Bridge and the dualization of the Oba Ogunji Road, the estate, in line with the public interest, ceded part of the land to the Lagos State Government for this public purpose.
But to the shock of the resident, they found out that Alhaji Kola Ganiyu Egunjobi had started building a car wash on the setback left after the construction of the newly dualised Oba Ogunji Road.
The residents were enraged and wrote a petition on the issue which necessitated the state’s ministry of physical Planning and Urban Development to issue a stop work order on Alhaji Egunjobi’s construction on February 17, 2021.
But that is not the news. On May 20, 2022, around 9am, Egunjobi attempted, according to This Day report, to access the estate from Oba Ogunji Road, which is reserved exclusively for residents with estate stickers only.
The security men manning the gate politely asked him to use the main gate as his car did not have the estate’s sticker.
Rather than accede to the gentle instruction, he responded by blocking the back gate with his car, causing significant disruption to the awe of everyone.
What a show of power ?
That was not even enough ;
Around 5pm of the same day, Alhaji Egunjobi reportedly brought thugs into the estate.
The thugs violently dismantled the security barrier of a whole estate and assaulted the security guards on duty.
It is said that some of the security guards were put in KiriKiri !
For doing their legitimate job and for obeying instruction.
What I narrated above happened two years ago as you can see. And I am doing so to provide sufficient background for the latest of his infractions.
I took interest in this matter because I reside in Agege and I think when people in authority are misbehaving there should be systems put in place to check them.
Edward Private School
What actually influenced this piece is what the LG chairman has done to a private school.
The school known as Edwards Private School is located at 47, Old Ogba Road, Agege and had been in existence for about 30 years now.
The school long existed before Agege Local Government Council took over the dump site land (Ajangbadi) (which has always been next to the school for decades) from Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA); of which Ajangbadi Dump site the Agege Local Government Council eventually used to build the Moshood Abiola Market.
The school had shared a common fence with LAWMA for many years and then shared fence many years again with Agege local government council’s M.K.O Abiola Market for many more years till date.
In fact the common fence between the school and the LAWMA Dump site became a source of concern for some of us parents of the school in the middle 90’s that we appealed to the proprietors of the school to rebuild same to avoid it collapsing on the school pupils due to the old dilapidated structure.
Around April 2024, the local government demolished the M.K.O. Abiola market for re-construction.
Since the market was built by the Local government, not too many people frowned at its demolition except for the timing, because of the current economic conditions.
Many owners of stalls in the place that were hitherto struggling to make ends meet were thrown into deeper poverty, some of them went into depression and a few who could not withstand the shock died.
However, around the 25th of September this year a signage was put in front of the school building stating that the land has been ‘confiscated’ by Agege Local Government.
The authority to demolish given to Agege Local Government expressly stated that only 27 bungalow shops located inside the MKO Abiola Market should be demolished.
But Alhaji Ganiyu Egunjobi extended the demolition to Edwards Private School obviously going beyond the boundaries specified in the permit obtained.
This happened despite the fact that the school owners had caused their lawyers to write to the chairman of the Local Government Council and also attached the title documents of the land to the letter.
Agege Local government claimed that it owned the land on which the school was built.
Meanwhile, the school in question has been in existence for over 30 years and had consistently been contributing its own quota to Agege Local government revenue through regular payment of its dues and had been a source of joy to we Agege Indigenes especially the poor school pupils who ruffled shoulders with the rich pupils because of the desires of the owners of the school to see that every child is equally treated no matter your background.
Mr, Enoch Ajiboso The local government chairman that was in office before Alhaji Ganiyu Egunjobi had attended some of the school’s functions as a special guest especially the End of the Year celebrations.
He encouraged the school.
Demolition
What surprised many people was that a Confiscation signage was put on the school building on September 25th and Mr Kola Ganiyu Egunjobi marched his agents to the building and began to demolish it early in the morning of Saturday, 28th September 2024 giving only few days notice to the school.
The school staff members who rushed there when their security called them were manhandled by the thugs while the demolition continued.
Vanguard media in their report of Tuesday, 1st of October 2024 also stated that their reporter was manhandled and the thugs tried to seize his camera for daring to record the incident.
Many precious school items were seen on the floor scattered all around and all the scared and helpless neighbors in the vicinity were perplexed and amazed at what they saw.
The environment was in shock and it was like a dream never to really happen in real life !
Most devastating of all was that the school staff members were not allowed to take the scattered and destroyed precious school items away even though they had tried to quickly organize a trailer to park them. Why ?
Because the Agege local government had confiscated the property.
Even if the building was to be legally demolished, at least a reasonable notice should have been given, court order obtained and
the school’s precious items released to the owners.
However, the Agege local government council continued with the demolition for days till the whole story building was brought down. Completely. SHOCKING!!!
But the most embarrassing part is that the Local Government authority went away With all the school’s properties, which includes students records, cabinets, numerous files, school albums, computers, televisions, toys etc that were all scattered and some pictures taken as much as one could hide to take videos and pictures of the scene to avoid being dealt with by the thugs on site.
Like I am still day dreaming.
Even when buildings are to be demolished legally, occupants are advised to remove their belongings and given time to do this. One then wonders why documents and properties should be taken away by a government authority or its proxy ?
The government has not been responsive enough in terms of building enough schools for her citizens and should do everything to encourage and support those who struggle and strive to help in educating our children.
Yet, attempts are being made to frustrate school owners like this !!!
Unknown to the local government chairman whose children might be studying abroad,
major victims of this act of recklessness are the poor inhabitants of Agege whose children attend the school.
This is sad.
The school has been like a charity outlet and a means of giving back to the society on the part of its owners because most of the pupils are from very poor families whose parents are mainly market women and very low income earners.
A lot of the pupils are on scholarship.
At a time, the school management selected best students in some classes and got them Nigerian passports and sponsored all their traveling expenses to Dubai on holidays so they can also experience traveling abroad like the rich pupils do.
It was like a dream for the students and their parents. For those students, the memories of that trip would linger forever !
But then Agege local government took away that Dubai trip memorable album also or no,
pardon me :
they confiscated it !!
How can this happen in a civilized country ?
False Claim
Agege Local government claimed that the school had been closed for 5 years,
While in actual fact the school was closed for a little over a year, July 2023 when the economy became so tough and not even 20% of the pupils could pay school fee anymore for over two years ago, and the financial pressure became biting on the management.
Instead of Agege local government to understand the state of the economy and see how to lift a school
that has done so much and so well for Agege poor indigenes, it rather destroyed the school and carted away her memorable items !
The school’s authority decided in July 2023, last year to have a recess and take some time to re-organize and re-strategize on how to continue the business with the present hardship the pupils and their parents were going through.
But the matter of the LG chairman is a heady one.
Recently a petition was filed at the Lagos State House of Assembly by a group known as CONCERNED AGEGE CITIZENS alleging that the governor’s consent obtained by the owners of the school was fraudulently obtained and the peace of Agege was being threatened.
The matter has even become so touchy that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Dr. Kemi Pinheiro advised the Lagos State House of Assembly and its Speaker Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, not to interfere in the judicial determination of a dispute regarding ownership of land pending before the court.
Pinheiro, in a letter dated November 6, 2024, faulted the Assembly’s letter of invitation dated November 5, 2024, inviting the law firm’s clients, Mr. and Mrs. Olugbenga Edwards Ayo-Odugbesan, before the Assembly, saying the lawmakers were attempting to violate the constitutional requirement of separation of power, by usurping the executive functions of the police and judicial functions of the courts hearing the matter.
Consequently, the senior lawyer said he had advised his clients to, in the interest of the rule of law, not to attend the meeting so they would not be held in contempt of court.
Copies of the letter were sent to President Bola Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the state’s Attorney General.
Pinheiro wondered why the lawmakers were interested in summoning his clients when the Agege LGA and its chairman, whom the Concerned Agege Residents purported to be advocating for, and whom the Ayo-Odugbesan couple had accused of unlawful demolition of the property, had kept mute over the matter.
The Senor Advocate of Nigeria wondered why the House of Assembly ignored his client’s earlier petition on the same subject matter dated since 3rd of October 2024 but quickly acted on that written by the group few days after they received theirs.
Mischief at work
From what I have seen so far, it seems to me that the LG chairman is bent on mischief. Why take delight in pulling down structures particularly structures that have helped to make the society better.
It is either Alhaji Egunjobi is not aware of what Posterity’s JUDGEMENT is all about or he does not care about it at all.
Like I stated earlier he is on second term in office. And he will be out in a matter of time. He should remember that the destinies of the people that he has truncated with his off the cuff behaviour will hunt him if he does not retrace his steps..
The teary faces of children who have been blessed by that school will ask him questions.
If the village idol can’t save, it’s better the idol allows residents be.
We have a situation where some of our government officials are contributing little or nothing to people’s welfare, yet it is making life difficult for the average Agege Indigenes.
I am writing this urging the public and the government to put a check on the activities’ of Alhaji Egunjobi.
It’s one innocent school today, it may well be another institution tomorrow that will rock the very bottom of our society.
I still find it unthinkable that a top official in charge of a local government will take delight in running down the initiative of its citizens rather than encouraging it….
Sad indeed.