Lagos Assembly Summons Permanent Secretary On Lands For Disregarding Its Calls

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday summoned top officials at the Lagos State Land Bureau to appear before it on Nov. 14 over their disregard to calls made by its committee on a disputed land matter.

The Assembly summoned the Permanent Secretary of Land Bureau, Mr Shuaheeb Agoro, and the Executive Secretary, Mr Olukayode Ogunnubi.

The lawmakers also wanted the affected officials to brief them on the disputed government property.

This invitation followed a report on a petition entitled “Matter of Urgency by Iju Youth Action Committee” over disputed land earmarked by the government for a post office and fire service station.

Chairman of the House Committee on Special and Inter-Governmental Relations, Hon. Olusola Sokunle, said in the report he presented that the affected top officials were invited on several occasions by the committee to brief it on the petition, but that they failed to appear.

Sokunle said that investigation revealed that the said land had some structures such as filling station, churches, residential buildings and others on it.

The lawmakers, who took turns to condemn the act, said that it had become habitual to Ministries, Departments and Agencies on Land in the state to disregard calls by the House.

The lawmakers also blamed the Ministry of Physical Planning and the Lagos State Building Control Agency for not being effective in the execution of their mandate.

Hon. Raseed Makinde from Ifako/Ijaiye Constituency II, who urged the government to ensure that it put signposts in all its acquired land, said that those, who trespass on government lands should be sanctioned.

The Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade called on the Land Bureau to take necessary steps to return the land for the purpose it was meant for.

The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa stated that it had become habitual for the affected agency of government to disregard calls by the House.

Obasa, who stepped down the recommendations of the committee for proper fine-tuning, directed the Acting Clerk of the House, Mr. Sanni Azeez to invite the affected officials to appear before the House next Monday.

The Assembly adjourned its plenary session to November 10.