Ogun and Lagos State Governments are on collision course following removal notices served on houses and businesses of a border community to give way for the construction of the Rail Mass Transit Project by the Lagos State.
The notice of demolition was reportedly served by the officials of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) on residents of Itoki-Agbado-Ijoko in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The affected areas fall within border communities between Ogun and Lagos states.
Our correspondent obtained one of the notices signed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAMATA, Mrs Abimbola Akinajo, and addressed to Chief Olajide Akinola of No. 3 Olajide Akinola Street, Agbado.
The notice dated November 8, 2021, was titled “Lagos Rail Mass Transit Red Line Project Development: Removal Notice On Physical Development Within The Right of Way.”
Based on the removal notices, about 1,000 houses would be affected, City News learnt on Thursday.
The state government added that its agency, LAMATA is also “in close consultation with the Ogun State Ministry of Transportation about the development.”
But the Ogun State House of Assembly on Thursday declared the removal notice as “null and void.”
To this end, the assembly called for the formal agreement between the two states through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the planned removal of structures at the Ogun border communities.
The Speaker of the Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, gave the directive, while responding to the submission of the lawmaker representing Ifo II State Constituency, Ganiyu Alani Oyedeji.
Oyedeji, while addressing the plenary under Personal Explanation, informed lawmakers of an unauthorized distribution of the demolition notice by LAMATA to residents of Itoki-Agbado-Ijoko.
