The consideration of the Ogun State Government has been drawn to a press assertion issued by the Media Office of the Senator representing Ogun East and a former Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on Saturday, August 9 and titled “Political Persecution as Governor Abiodun Issues Quit, Demolition Notices on Daniel’s Properties in Ogun State.”
The assertion written in extraordinarily unhealthy style and with intent to trigger disaffection and foment chaos within the state alleges that Governor Dapo Abiodun posted Notices of Contravention, Quit and threats of demolition on the Asoludero Court Sagamu non-public residence of Gbenga Daniel,the Conference Hotels Limited, Sagamu and the lodge Annex of the previous Governor of Ogun State, with intent to illegally demolish these properties.
The assertion framed the mentioned notices purportedly obtained on Friday, August 8, as a transparent demonstration of “malicious and vindictive abuse of power, hiding behind a newly-enacted law retroactively to target a political opponent.” Nothing will be farther from the reality.
Of course, in what has turn into a well-recognized sample, Senator Daniel and his Media Office have been ascribing political motives to a routine process, suggesting that they’ve one thing to cover and don’t thoughts utilizing underhand ways to realize their sinister goals.
Contrary to the blatant distortions of info and egregious purveyors of falsehood been propagated by the assertion in query, the Ogun State Government is just not engaged in any untoward transfer in opposition to Otunba Gbenga Daniel in anyway.
The reality of the matter, fairly merely, is that in his holistic method to improvement efforts throughout the size and breadth of Ogun State, His Excellency, Governor Dapo Abiodun, has embarked not solely on constructing new communities as exemplified by the reasonably priced housing estates and the yellow roof revolution but additionally on the redevelopment of Ogun State’s cities and cities by means of city renewal. This, he began with Ibara GRA in Abeokuta, the state capital, and is being prolonged to Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode GRAs. This initiative includes the auditing of current developments inside these areas to be able to decide the allow standing of all varieties of developments, together with homes, faculties, hospitals and different business buildings. This is a statutory and due course of requirement which is able to present info for any authorities intervention. And this knowledgeable the event audit train at present being carried out concurrently each in Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu GRAs.
Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s constructing occurs to be inside the Sagamu GRA and amongst people who have been served notices as required underneath the Town Planning Law and Regulation of Ogun State. Many different constructions have been additionally equally served. The train is a steady one till the target of presidency for the train is achieved. This course of is just not new. It had been in existence and operated even throughout his tenure as Governor of the State. The GRA is a authorities designed and allotted property and it’s topic to regulatory and oversight features of governmet in perpetuity. All Otunba Gbenga Daniel must do, like each different individual’s in comparable scenario which have been served with such notices in that neighbourhood, is to current his planning allow and land title to the related authorities Agency workplace for verification inside the time specified within the notices moderately than resorting to low-cost blackmail. There aren’t any exemptions underneath the legislation besides as permitted by that Law.
Did the distinguished senator not conduct a examine across the neighbourhood earlier than rapidly dashing to the media to demonise Governor Dapo Abiodun and his administration, as regular? The assertion in query jumped the gun by saying that the Government is specializing in Senator Daniel. That is a barefaced lie. It is the responsibility of the Government to hold out audits and for somebody who has been in workplace as Governor and who’s now a Senator to be crying wolf is very unlucky. It appears that Senator Gbenga Daniel and his crew will do something they’ll to pull the identify of Governor Dapo Abiodun into each subject possible simply to attain low-cost political factors. This is just not a trademark of statesmanship, a subject that the distinguished senator likes to speak about with flourish; it’s a darkish tactic.
Nobody is larger than the State. Senator Gbenga Daniel is distinguished little question, however he’s not greater than Ogun State. He ought to submit himself unreservedly to the identical legal guidelines he as soon as swore twice to uphold. He ought to chorus from elevating each subject of his contact with authorities establishments to a private vendetta by Governor Abiodun, who clearly holds him in excessive esteem. Since his referenced buildings should have conformed with authorities laws, there shouldn’t be any drawback. The distinguished Senator is aware of the legislation and has presumably abided by it, so why is he crying foul as a substitute of merely complying with lawful directive, supremely assured within the information that he has carried out no mistaken, and realizing the rights afforded him by the Constitution and the courts?
No one ought to assign impure motives to a routine process. If anybody is after Senator Gbenga Daniel, it’s definitely not the Governor of Ogun State.
E signed
Kayode Akinmade
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy
