Mixed reaction trails Lagos Eviction of former Deputy Speaker from residence

On Friday, November 3rd, 2017 Policemen from the office of the Lagos State Governor without the order of the Court invaded the No 3, Sasegbon Street, GRA, Ikeja residence of the Tejuoshos, evicted some of the occupants

while others were imprisoned within the premises and finally sealed off the property on the excuse that the property was being occupied illegally by Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho, a fourth term member and former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

The issue has however, continued to generate controversies within the state especially in the political arena.

While the Tejuoshos in a press statements issued on Monday by the husband of Hon. Funmi Tejuosho, Kayode accused the state government of unprovoked harassment and persecutions, the state government through the Commissioner for Information, Steve Ayorinde claimed that the inability of the occupants to fully pay for the property necessitated government’s action.

The state government has exonerated the office of the governor as being alleged, saying it was a tussle of ownership on a government property between an interloper and the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

And that while a couple has stepped forward to claim ownership of the said property, it is therefore, a misdirected claim as the couple did not make any purchase on the property.

The company that made the purported purchase, the government said did so in error and is yet to step forward to challenge the cancellation of the purchase since the company, according to Ayorinde, a certain Debam Mega Solutions –

which paid only a portion of the offer price never completed payments on it that would have entitled its full takeover and access to Certificate of Occupancy.

The incomplete payment, Ayorinde said has since been refunded to the company and the property retrieved so that it can continue to serve as the official quarters of the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The statement further said that while government acknowledges a form of monetisation policy that allowed certain levels of government officials and political appointees to purchase official quarters in their individual capacity on owner-occupier basis, this policy never extended to companies like Debam Maga Solution which being no government entity could not have legally made a bid for a government property.

And that the names of the two directors of the said company are never Lagos State officials and went further to challenge the media to investigate the names of those directors with the Corporate Affairs Commission, whether the company is owned by the Tejuoshos or not as claimed by Kayode Tejuosho.

Recall that Hon. Funmilayo Tejuosho’s husband, Kayode in a statement issued to the press titled; “Unlawful imprisonment in the property belonging to Hon. (Mrs) Funmi Tejuosho family and eviction from same property by agents of the State government” accused the state government of forceful eviction of his family from their house 3A, Sasegbon Street, GRA, Ikeja.

“I, along with our children have been forcefully and brutally evicted from our home and rendered homeless by the government after days of tortuous siege on our residence due to no fault of ours, but out of what I consider sheer political persecution and uncommon vendetta.

“Let me quickly lay the facts bare to correct the falsehood being peddled by the government to justify their unlawful act and outright violation of our rights.

During the administration of former Governor Bola Tinubu, the Lagos State government adopted the Federal Government’s property’s monetisation and redevelopment policy by offering several of its properties to public/civil servants occupying same for sale as well as companies under redevelopment schemes.

“This monetisation policy was continued by the Babatunde Raji Fashola’s government, as a result of which several officials benefited, including the present chairman of the Lagos chapter of the APC, Mr. Henry Dele Ajomale.

“In furtherance of this policy, my wife and I being the present occupiers were equally afforded the same opportunity of acquiring the property which we chose to do through a company in which we have interest.

“This company called Debam Mega Solutions Limited, by a letter dated November 21, 2008 addressed to His Excellency, the governor of Lagos State, Debam Mega Solutions Limited sought the concession and approval of the governor to acquire the right of occupancy over the property at 3A, Sasegbon Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

“At the time Debam Mega Solutions Limited sought the concession of the governor, the property housed a dilapidated and abandoned structure.

Further to the said application and by a Lagos State Government, Ministry of Housing letter dated March 26, 2010 with reference No. MHEST/627, the Lagos State Government offered to sell the property to Debam Mega Investment at the ultimate agreed purchase price of N150,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira).

“This amount was eventually fully paid to the government on the 28th day of May, 2015 thereby concluding the sale of the property from the government to the company.”

Kayode who said the property no longer belong to the state government since the completion of payments, but that of the Debam Mega Investment and upon the acquisition of the right of occupancy over the property, the company continued to be in active possession of the Tejuosos who improved the property to its present state.

Tejuosho went further to say Debam Mega Solutions Limited has enjoyed quiet and undisturbed possession of the property since the acquisition of the property until about 11:00am on Friday, 3rd of November, 2017, eight years after,

when policemen from the office of the governor of Lagos State invaded the property, evicted some of the occupants and imprisoned the others, who have remained imprisoned since.

“Also, the property was sealed since the 3rd day of November 2017 with fierce police officers stationed within and outside the premises with my daughter and other aides inside.”

Tejuosho went further to rubbish the claim by the State government that the said property was the official residence of the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly when he challenged the state government or the leadership of the State House of Assembly to name any Deputy Speaker of the House that ever occupied the property.

“Contrary to the lies being peddled by the Lagos State government that the building is the official residence of the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, the two previous Deputy Speakers before my wife, Honourable (Mrs.) Funmilayo Tejuoso were Farouk Oshodi and Toun Adediran whilst the two after her were Bola Badmus and Kolawole Taiwo.

None of them ever lived here at No. 3A, Sasegbon Street and I make bold to say that no Deputy Speaker has ever lived in this property. Let them mention if any.”

Tejuosho disclosed that a former Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Budget, Mrs. Dawodu handed over the property to them which was only a colonial building with wooden deck as at the time it was handed over to them.

Meanwhile, the issue has continued to generate mixed reactions among supporters and loyalists of both the state governor, Akinwumi Ambode and that of Hon. Funmi Tejuosho.

According to an APC chieftain, Engineer M. Ade Shoyebo, he viewed the action of the state government as pure vendetta on Funmi Tejuosho, because of her closeness and unflinching support for the APC National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire.

He was quoted to have said “It was obvious that Governor Ambode and the establishment in Lagos were not at peace with the strong and unflinching support Hon. Tejuoso gave to the National Legal Adviser of the APC, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) during the crusade for the adherence to internal democracy in the buildup to the local government council chairmanship/councilorship election.”

Hon. Tejuoso, a lawmaker representing Mushin Constituency I, in the Lagos State House of Assembly according to the APC chieftain, is a well known loyal political ally of the National Legal Adviser of the APC.

Shoyebo claimed that those calling for Banire’s head within the state government were in a state of confusion and no longer comfortable seeing Tejuosho being able to withstand all the pre-arranged policy of exclusion and persecution in the Lagos State House of Assembly,

all because of demonstration of her unflinching support for Dr. Banire, while the former Personal Assistant to the National Legal Adviser and now member of the State House of Assembly representing Mushin constituency 02, Olawale Olayiwola also known as “Omi titi” has since disowned Banire all in an attempt to get a return ticket of the party in 2019.

Notwithstanding the denial by the state, Shoyebo expressed his gladness that Lagosians are now getting to know the kind of leadership the governor is made of and they are as well realising that something has to be done quickly to loosen the governor’s grip upon the political soul of the Center of Excellence they love so much.

“The weakness of Governor Ambode’s political naivety is being made manifest. His weakness is not lack of material power. It is weak because it seeks to sustain an unnatural tyranny by suppressing human aspirations which cannot be indefinitely suppressed.” he concluded.

“For God’s sake, Hon. Tejuosho is a member of this House, a former Deputy Speaker for that matter, I think the state has been unfair to her in the way the matter was handled going by the claim by her husband that the sum of N150m was paid for the property, more so when the matter was quoted to be in court.

“What type of message are we sending to the public or what impression are we creating? That there is crack within the House or in the State government?

Honestly, if you asked me, this is recklessness on the part of the state against one of its finest legislators and I sincerely wish and hope this will be amicably resolved and the dignity of this finest lawmaker restored,” a member of the House of Assembly who does not want his name mentioned stated in disapproval to the action of the state government.

Also reacting on the issue, former Chief Press Secretary to the Second Republic governor of the state, Lateef Kayode Jakande and former Sole Administrator of Mushin Local Government, Prince Bayo Osiyemi said he had envisaged a possible unfriendly disposition towards Tejuosho

hence his advised her to shift her loyalty and pledge a total support and loyalty to the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, he however urged Tejuosho to seek a political solution to end her current travail as the government according to him, may not be found to have been wrong at the end of the day.

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At the time Debam Mega Solutions Limited sought the concession of the governor, the property housed a dilapidated and abandoned structure. Further to the said application and by a Lagos State Government, Ministry of Housing letter dated March 26, 2010 with reference No. MHEST/627, the Lagos State Government offered to sell the property to Debam Mega Investment at the ultimate agreed purchase price of N150,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira).