OGHA Quarters, Others: Akinlade&#8217;s Message Of Support For Abiodun Has Vindicated Me &#8211; Arabambi

By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta

An ardent critics of Governor Dapo Abiodun – led administration in Ogun State, Abayomi Arabambi, has said that the recent message of Hon. Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade backing the governor’s decision to rebuild the Legislative and Commissioners’ Quarters has vindicated him and reinforced his continued opposition to the project.

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Arabambi who is the Publicity Secretary of Julius Abure – led Nigerian opposition Labour Party (LP), said that Akinlade’s message exposed the relocation and rebuilding of Legislative and Commissioners’ quarters as a project that was far from being pursued in the public interest of the good people of Ogun State.

The Daily Crucible reports that Akinlade popularly called triple A and Governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement(APM) in the 2019 general elections in the state where he emerged as the main challenger to Dapo Abiodun at the time, had while backing ‘Ogun Government’s Urban Renewal Drive,’ in a recent report, said that the rebuilding of the quarters was long overdue.

The report stated, “In a statement on Tuesday, Akinlade described the government’s decision to rebuild the Legislative and Commissioners’ Quarters—structures originally constructed nearly five decades ago—as both timely and necessary. He noted that the buildings, erected in 1976, had long outlived their structural lifespan despite multiple renovation efforts by previous administrations.

“Akinlade further commended the government’s plan to relocate the quarters to Buhari Estate in Abeokuta and to regenerate Ibara GRA and other estates across the state, saying the initiatives align with Ogun’s broader vision to expand and urbanize its capital city.”

However, reacting to this at the weekend, Arabambi, an advocate of accountability and good governance, alleged that the plan to relocate the quarters to Buhari Estate in Abeokuta and to regenerate Ibara GRA suggests clandestine mission by the government and cronies to grab the land under the guise of regeneration.

He noted that the place was initially a Egba community land and given to the government for use in public interest, stressing it the original intention had changed, the area should be returned to the Egba community.

Arabambi also charged the Governor to jettison the project and channel the resources intended for it to roads reconstruction and rehabilitation in Ogun Central as a matter of urgent priority.

While lamenting the deplorable road conditions in Egbaland, he claimed that many expectant mothers were no longer keen on going for antenatal care in public health facilities, fearing that they might slip into premature labour due to pot – holes – ridden roads in the area.

He concluded that the state government has clandestine mission to grab all those large parcel of lands for private purposes because moving all Assembly members and Commissioners into Buhari Estate will leave the assembly and Commissioners quarter’s land to the Government and their cronies,” he said.

The Daily Crucible reports that Akinlade popularly called triple A and Governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement(APM) in the 2019 general elections in the state, where he emerged as the main challenger to Dapo Abiodun at the time, had while backing ‘Ogun Government’s Urban Renewal Drive’ in a recent media report, said that the rebuilding of the quarters was long overdue.

The report quoted Akinlade as saying: “In a statement on Tuesday, Akinlade described the government’s decision to rebuild the Legislative and Commissioners’ Quarters—structures originally constructed nearly five decades ago—as both timely and necessary. He noted that the buildings, erected in 1976, had long outlived their structural lifespan despite multiple renovation efforts by previous administrations.

However, reacting to this at the weekend, Arabambi, an advocate of accountability and good governance, alleged that the plan to relocate the quarters to Buhari Estate in Abeokuta and to regenerate Ibara GRA suggests a clandestine mission by the government and its cronies to grab the said land under the guise of urban regeneration.

He noted that the place was initially a Egba community land and was given out to the government for use in public interest, stressing that if the original intention had changed, the area should naturally be returned to the Egba community.

Arabambi also charged the Governor to jettison the project and channel the resources intended for it to roads reconstruction and rehabilitation in Ogun Central as a matter of urgent priority.

...Ogun gov’t defends decision

But The Daily Crucible reports that the Ogun State Government had recently defended its plans to rebuild the 49-year-old House of Assembly Complex, Oke Mosan, as well as the legislative and commissioners’ quarters within the Ibara GRA, Abeokuta.

Justifying the planned demolition, the government said the decision followed extensive structural assessments by the Ministry of Housing, which revealed that the existing buildings—constructed in 1976—have become severely dilapidated and unsafe after over five decades of use.

It noted that despite multiple renovation attempts over the years, the structures have continued to deteriorate, resulting in high maintenance costs with minimal improvement.

Also, the Commissioner for Housing, Jagunmolu Akande Omoniyi, said the reconstruction project was necessary to align the State’s public infrastructure with modern safety, design, and efficiency standards.

Omoniyi, recently, explained that the decision was guided by the National Building Code of Nigeria (NBC, 2006), which stipulates that public buildings must meet minimum standards of safety and habitability.

He reckoned that the structures had exceeded their useful life—typically around 50 years—requiring either major rehabilitation or complete reconstruction, especially where repairs had proved uneconomical.

“The existing Legislative and Commissioners’ Quarters were constructed in 1976, nearly 50 years ago. Over the years, successive governments have spent enormous sums on repairs and maintenance, but these have yielded diminishing results. A technical evaluation conducted by the Ministry confirmed that the structures are no longer safe for habitation. In line with global best practices and the provisions of the National Building Code, the State Government has chosen to rebuild these facilities for long-term sustainability,” Omoniyi had said.

According to him, the move was driven by foresight and prudence, noting that delaying reconstruction could expose officials living in the quarters to greater risks.

“If we fail to act now, successive governments will face even greater financial and safety challenges. This decision is therefore about foresight, prudence, and the responsible management of public assets,” he stated.