Formerly known as Marwa Gardens, now rechristened MKO Abiola Gardens, Alausa, Ikeja, close to Government House, is a serene neighborhood but the serenity the residential estate has enjoyed for over two decades now, is about to be disrupted if the unregulated plans by officials of the estate’s management to erect an illegal structure on a small piece of land that has been used over the years as meeting venue among other uses, is not curbed.
Olowolekomoh, who incidentally is Oba-elect of Odo-Nla kingdom, Ikorodu, Lagos, is a pioneer homeowner in MKO Abiola Gardens since 1997.
He resides on Block 43B Peacock Lane, and he is apprehensive about the illegal structure as it is right by his entrance gate.
“I am one of the first set of resident landlords domiciled in MKO Gardens, Alausa, Ikeja since 1997. Though based in the United Kingdom, I do visit friends and relatives back home at periodic intervals as deemed necessary. I am a native of Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria,” the businessman and philanthropist began even as he gave an insight into the issue.
“On a small portion of land inside MKO Gardens that used to be known to the entire estate and outsiders as ‘wood office’ next to my property, which later turned out to become a centre of divergent businesses was converted to a wooden shanty and eventually a make-shift small block used often as meetings venue by the estate management officials after the original landlords; LSDPC, left the estate premises. As a matter of fact, the estate meeting centre later caved with the building structures partially collapsed to the ground. Afterwards, information and intelligence received from credible sources indicated that series of geological tests were commissioned and conducted to ascertain the integrity of the soil’s solidity and conditions and the verdict was a certified declaration that no tangible and enduring structure or property can be erected at the site for health and safety reasons, being a left over portion of landscape segregated as access points area and unit for identifying and monitoring underground sewage waste channels and pipelines for the entire estates with connection points to major sewage canal extensions outside the community as far as main drainage connected to Alausa districts and other adjoining communities.beyond the axis”
Olowolekomoh’s main concern is the penchant of the current estate management for the “indiscriminate erections of dangerous structures and dumping of recyclable waste products and toxic materials on the site in flagrant abuse and violations of communal environmental sanitation laws and regulations by state and non-state actors for personal gratification benefits and purposes.
The new exco members of the estate’s management officials who visited the site did nothing afterwards but tried to divert discussions to other irrelevant issues despite the severity of the matter at stake.
Another lady (name withheld) who is equally one of the estate management staff did not respond to several attempts to reach her on the phone concerning the matter.
“Currently, the unrelenting abuse extends to direct trespassing and encroachment against my property that is situated next door with a concrete fence and floral demarcations to the open landscape. My building’s frontage and adjacent wall fence have become so blighted and damaged with varied physical defacement that has cost me significant amount to restore and repair at separate intervals,” Olowolekomoh said.
He continued, “Aside the above personal burdens, the unregulated use of this landscape poses great existential dangers and risks to the overall communal environmental sanitation and which designates the ground as a green space for ecosystem balancing and aesthetics in perfect alignments with the Lagos State Ministry of Urban and Town Planning regulations.”
To his surprise however, while Olowolekomoh was pushing to ensure that the telecommunications company’s high mast on the land was dismantled and removed, “it got to my notice that the same small portion of land has been sold to someone who has now demolished the old cracked meeting centre, with an intent to build residential/commercial property on the land atop the underground sewage units despite expert’s warnings and advice to this effect. The very high telecom mast and electronic billboard on the land positioned next to my property’s wall to the extent that parts of the support braces are laying on my concrete flower pots while posterior wall fence is encroached from the side adjacent to my gate entrance.”
The Nigeria Communication Commission Act, according to Olowolekomoh expressly states the major focus of the Act. Section 1 of the NCC Act provides that: “The primary object of this Act is to create and provide a regulatory framework for the Nigerian communications industry and all matters related thereto…
Attached are the detailed site analysis of the described estate layout and the callout sections of the affect area as mentioned above;