Mrs Olufunke Daniel, wife of ex – governor Gbenga Daniel, has berated Governor Dapo Abiodun – led Ogun State Government for demolishing her 4 -storey plaza in Ijebu-Ode, describing the action as “executive recklessness, lawlessness, and irresponsibility.”
But the state government on Sunday declared the structure designated DATKEM plaza as illegal and lacking in government approval. It brought parts of the structure down.
And Daniel personally visited the site to assess the damage on the facility.
But the videos and images depicting the building’s destruction are trending on social media, prompting some residents of Ijebuland and watchers of the unfolding development to conclude that it could be the latest fallout of the simmering political feud between Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who is now an All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator representing Ogun East, and Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Right from the build up to the 2023 general elections to the present, the political relationship between Dapo Abiodun and Senator Daniel is less than rossy.
Reacting, through her lawyer, Adeyinka Kotoye, SAN, of PAGE Law Office, Mrs Daniel slammed Abiodun for ‘illegality, “unimaginable and huge losses” inflicted on her through the demolition.
In a statement signed by the legal firm lamented that the government ignored court papers served on its agents to abort the alleged unlawful actions on the structure.
The statement noted that the government ignored court papers “served on its agents on Thursday, September 7 asking them to stop all actions on the building.”
“I want to believe that the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, was not informed of this illegality. But if he was informed and still decided to use the instruments of the State against our clients, it is nothing but executive recklessness. But, we will continue to fight for justice and ensure that our clients.
“This matter began when the Ogun State Planning and Development Authority scaled the building on August 1 without any prior notice. Interestingly, a quit notice was only served on August 31 by the same Planning and Development Authority asking the owner to vacate the premises within three days.
“Meanwhile, Datkem applied for unsealing and regularization of the building on August 2 and paid the mandatory fee of N500, 000 to the Ogun State government. We have evidence of this payment.
“However, we were shocked and astonished that the Ogun State government ignored the ongoing legal process and went ahead to demolish the complex in the early hours of Sunday. We want to believe the State Attorney General’s advice was ignored on this matter.
“Our clients, as law abiding citizens of Ogun State, will continue to seek redress in the courts. Even when our clients have suffered unimaginable and huge losses as a result of this illegal demolition, we will not relent in pursuing justice in the courts,” it stated.
DATKEM Plaza An Illegal Structure Without Approved Plan – Ogun Govt
However, countering Mrs Daniel, Ogun State Government on Sunday said DATKEM Plaza, Ijebu Ode is an illegal structure without an approved plan.
The structure, the state government added, also contravened the state’s physical planning laws.
The government, in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Olayiwola Abiodun said the structure violated the building codes of the state with numerous defects.
He said several efforts made by the state government to halt further development on site were ignored by the developers.
He said government officials requested the structural engineer in charge of the building to avail the state of the structural equilibrium of the building, a request that was ignored.
He also recalled the various incidences of building disasters across the country, adding that the Ogun State Government will not fold its arm and allow and such occurrence, even as he noted that many of such disasters, such as fire outbreaks at Ikorodu, led to the loss of precious lives.
According to the permanent secretary, what the government did in partially pulling down the defective building was to be proactive.
Engr. Abiodun challenged the owners of the structure to produce evidence of government approval in their possession.
He said that for a commercial building of that status, there must be parking space to accommodate vehicular traffic within and outside the facility for workers and visitors. The provision of the law is for 45 to 50 per cent of available land for construction as a buildable area.
The permanent secretary added that the building lacked stage certification, which is usually issued at every stage of construction.
He said that owners were served the necessary notices, including abatement, contravention, stop work and demolition between May and October 2022, which were ignored.
According to the statement, DATKEM Enterprises Limited submitted application for an office building, located along Ibadan Road, Ijebu Ode in 2009 with registration number CB/05/299/2009.
“The proposal was for five (5) floors with airspace of 3 metres at the right, 5m at the left, 5metres at the rear and a setback of 32.5516 metres to the middle of Ijebu Ode/Ibadan road, Ijebu-Ode.
“The Zonal Town Planning Office observed during routine monitoring that the construction on site did not conform with the plan granted as there was a deviation from the airspaces and setback.
“In addition, the building had been modified and enlarged with an additional storey building at the back thereby becoming over density.
“In view of the above, the following actions were taken:
“Contravention Notice with Serial No. 0106983 was served on 24th May 2022.
“Stop Work Order with Serial No. 000623 was served on 24th May 2022.
“Another Stop Work Order with Serial No. 001065 was served on 22nd July 2022 when the first notice was ignored.
“Demolition Notice with Serial No. 0007549 was served on 11th October 2022.
Notice to seal with Serial No. 000815 was served on 4th October 2022.
The statement noted further that despite all these notices, the developer was recalcitrant and continued with the construction work.
“This prompted the re-sealing of the site on 1st August, 2023. But the sealing did not stop the developer from further construction as work continued on the site.
“However, the developer wrote an appeal for unsealing, which was considered so as to evacuate the belongings in the premises. Thereafter, quit notice with Serial No. 0030750 was served on 31st August, 2023.
“In view of the above, since the developer had remained recalcitrant, the Zonal Town Planning Office’s recommendation for the demolition of the office building was upheld,” the statement added.
The state government reiterated its avowed commitment to ensure the safety of its citizens, adding that any defective buildings in any part of the state will be demolished to safeguard the lives of the people.
