Residents of two communities in Sagamu local government area of Ogun State have urged the federal and state governments to prevent the outbreak of violence by investigating the alleged unwholesome activities of consultants handling a proposed power project in the area.
The residents while staging a peaceful protest in Sagamu claimed that the consultants were purportedly acting in the name of government to deprive them of their residential structures and farmlands.
Radio Nigeria Correspondent reports that the Protesters from Alado and Dejuwogbo communities, carried placards with inscriptions such as “we are not selling our Property” Where is TCN in this Process” and “The Consultants are Cheats and Selfish” and thronged the venue for the payment of compensation for individuals whose property were reportedly marked for demolition to pave way for a Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN project.
The residents said they had to resolve to staging the protest due to the nonchalant attitude of the consultants to their numerous complaints about irregularities in the payment of compensation to property and farm owners affected by the proposed project.
They highlighted the alleged sharp practices by the consultants to include irregularities in list of affected residents, undervaluation and overvaluation of properties, questioning the rationale behind the payment of six million naira to the owner of an uncompleted two bedroom building while one point five million naira was offered to the owner of a completed three- bedrooms with facility in the same vicinity.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Mrs. Iperogbelu Rebecca and Mr. Oladosu Olawale said the lack of transparency in the transaction of those handling the compensation process had caused the residents to doubt the claims that the project was approved by the government.
The residents expressed optimism that the intervention of relevant government’s agencies would help to clear the doubts and to prevent the breakdown of law and order in the affected communities.
Addressing the protesters, a representative of the firm handling the payment of compensation to the affected property owners, Mr. Bassey Uzodinma said the firm had taken the issue of underpayment of the affected people into record and would submit the report to the appropriate quarters, noting that the residents would be adequately compensated by the government.
Mr Uzodinma who blamed inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay in the payment of the compensation advised the people to ensure proper documentation of their complaints.
Mr. Uzodinma maintained that the proposed federal Power line and Power station project of the Transmission Company of Nigeria in the Alado and Dejuwogbo communities would be expected to commence after the payment of compensation to the affected property owners.
Wale Oluokun/Olaolu Fawole
pub-5160901092443552
Related Posts
