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Saraki’s seized property: Kwara government reacts, explains status

Ismaila Sanni
Ismaila Sanni
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Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq

Kwara State government has reacted to the claim that its seizure of the land for construction of a new secretariat from the Saraki family was borne out of vendetta.

The state government announced the taking over of the land last week, explaining that it was illegally used by Asa Investment as opposed to the intention of the government.

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has since described the action of the government as ill-motivated.

But throwing light on the issue, the Director General, Bureau of Lands, Kwara State, Ibrahim Salman, said going through the records available, the land was not paid for.

He said in fact, there was no document to the effect that the property was owned by any other person or group other than the government.

The government said the explanation became necessary in view of the public enquiry on the status of the property.

Said Kwara State government: “The entire land was acquired in the 1970s for Overriding Public Interest and same was initially designed to host the phase II of the State Secretariat. The construction of the said State Secretariat Phase II was actually commenced and it was at superstructure level before same was abandoned,” Director General of the Bureau of Land Ibrahim Salman said in a statement.

“The entire land was later redesigned in the 1980s for the construction of a Civil Service Clinic, State Secretariat, and a parking lot for both the Clinic and the State Secretariat.

“The Clinic was subsequently constructed in 1982, while the remaining plots of land were conceived for the expansion of the Clinic into a full-fledged Hospital.

“The dream of the State Government was stalled when part of the land slated for the parking lot was spuriously allocated in principle to one Asa Investment for commercial purpose.

“From available records, the allocation was not based on a formal application, nor application forms filled; there was no evidence of payment for the said allocation as stipulated in the letter of allocation in principle and consequently, no right of occupancy was ever issued to the Company.

“Furthermore, in flagrant abuse of the allocation terms, the company took possession of the land and constructed what is today known as “Ile Arugbo” on part of the land that was designed as parking lot and later conceived to host the expansion of the Civil Service Clinic into a full-fledged Hospital.

“Following a resolution of the Kwara State House of Assembly mandating him to revoke/withdraw the spurious allocation, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq recently signed an instrument to reclaim the land on the ground that same was unlawfully allocated to a private Company contrary to the public purpose of its acquisition and occupied in breach of the terms of allocation.

“This (press) release is intended to state the facts on the land recently revoked/withdrawn by the state government as contained in our records.”

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