BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI & ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

SUCCOUR seems to be on the way for the displaced residents of Oke Ilu-eri in Ijora-Badia East area of the state, as the World Bank, in collaboration with the state government has disclosed plans to resettle them by August ending.

This was disclosed by the World Bank representative in Nigeria, Sateh El-Arnaout during a Stakeholders’ meeting on Badia East, at the weekend.

El-Arnaout, who commended Lagos State and Federal governments for allowing the aggrieved displaced residents to air their views concerning the process, assured that the collation of names would be completed and released by July ending while the resettlement would be  done by August ending this year.

“The Lagos State Government is sincere about the provision of immediate relief to the affected people, while the  building project will be on to  improve  the place  for the residents. I will like affected people to be patient and cooperate with the state government to accomplish this gesture”, he said.

One of the victims and her child

El-Arnaout added, “I commend Lagos State and Nigeria in general for allowing freedom of speech, because the problem we are having in Turkey and Brasil now was as a result of not allowing their citizens freedom of expression. In the ‘Resettlement Action Plan’ Badia people will soon get relief from the state government by the end of August after the list has been verified by World Bank”.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Bosun Jeje hinted that relief would soon get to them as soon as the technical committee perfected the list of displaced people submitted to the state government by their representatives led by Pastor Raymond Oluwagbenga Tedunjaye.

He added that all the observations and amendment noted by some of their representatives, especially the  20years payment for the structure by residents after  completion of the project which they want raised to  25years will be looked into.

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Housing, Hon Jimoh Ajao, encouraged the affected people not to be despaired  because the state government meant well for them, saying “No responsible government that is worth its salt in giving better welfare package to the citizens would allow them to live in slum especially when the present administration of Fashola was working towards transforming the whole state to meet the mega city status”.

The Ojora of Ijora kingdom,.Oba Abdulfatai Oyeyinka Aromire, in his remarks, urged the state government to keep its promise in providing  necessary assistance to the people, just as he appealed to the people to be patient and cooperate with the government.

Some of the displaced persons

In his own contribution, chairman of Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, Dr. Adesola Adedayo urged the state government to give the people the opportunity of first refusal when the housing schemem is completed and security of tenure.

Bulldozers, about a year ago, July 13, 2012, precisely, descended on the occupants of Iganmu Alawo Community in Apapa Iganmu Local Council Development Area, LCDA, and were dislodged by the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit.

Solicitor-General confirms compensation move
Meantime, the state Solicitor-General, Mr. Lawal Pedro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, confirmed that plan to compensate the victims.

Pedro, who represented the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice  at a parley  with residents of Badia East at the National Theatre Complex, said this development revealed that the government was listening to the complaints of the people.

He noted that a technical committee would soon start work to ensure proper enumeration and see that no genuine claim was not attended to.

The Solicitor-General said: “The position of the government is to sanitise the place and make it habitable, otherwise it will continue to be a slum.

“The development process is in phases and the government, out of its magnanimity, has come out to say it will compensate residents who are affected.

“And mind you, most of the properties that are there are illegal which makes them ordinarily not entitled to any form of compensation”.

“That is part of the exercise the technical committee is going to do by making sure they do proper enumeration and see that the people who are really affected are adequately compensated.”