Demolition Of N20m Bridge: Ogun Govt Insensitive, Unfair To Laagan Residents- Osikomaya

The past Chairman of Ijebu East Central Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Adebayo Osikomaya, has condemned the decision of the Ogun State Ministry of Forestry to demolish a N20million worth of bridge said to be built by some unknown persons in Ogun forest reserve.

Osikomaya said that the state government was just being unfair and insensitive to the residents of Laagan who have benefitted no infrastructural facility from the government yet the government was hell-bent on demolishing its communal ongoing N20m bridge being funded with contributions from the residents of the community.

It will be recalled that the Commissioner for Forestry, Hon. Tunji Akinosi, had ordered that the bridge being built to link an area called Laagan in Ijebu East local government to a village in Ondo State be pulled down before January 21.

According to Akinosi, those behind the bridge construction were illegal settlers and loggers, who wanted to create an easy means for the transportation of stolen government trees and resources.

He had said that the bridge must be demolished to put an end to illegal and criminal activities in the forest reserves.

But, while speaking on the issue, Osikomaya, described as worrisome, the directive given by the Commissioner for Forestry, Akinosi.

The former LCDA boss expressed disappointment that the Commissioner could describe residents of Laagan as illegal residents.

He said, “Laagan is a community/settlement of over 5,000 people whose major business is farming, adding that the area also falls under J4, Ajebandele ward, having existed over the last 30-40 years under the Owu-Ijebu Kingdom”.

Osikomaya said that, “government cannot point to any project, not even the grading of roads in and around that community, yet the people levied themselves and an appointee believes the best directive to give the people is to pull down such a bridge.”

He disclosed further that, “I have read several reports about this bridge and I honestly think the reportage is unfair to the inhabitants of that community. For us, this is a clear case of oppression of people who lack power.

“I know of a fact that this bridge has been under construction for over three years and it is primarily to ease movement of people in an out of the community. Several lives have been lost over the years in that settlement because the people do not have roads.

“It would also amaze all who don’t have access to information that the government has officials like cocoa examiners, forest guards, independent revenue collectors operating in the community and they have had them for several years. It’s a community the government has been making so much from without anything in return.

“Though, the people don’t have any approval from the government for the construction of the bridge, but that shouldn’t warrant the Commissioner to go to Laagan and burn down the building materials, direct the people to go and pull down the bridge or he would return there on the 21st of January to eject everyone and also burn down the community.

“I am making a special plea to the commissioner to calm down particularly, when the government has not given the people any alternative road or means of movement. The least the government would have done is to support such a community.

“Where government does not have projects and the people take on projects themselves, the people should be encouraged and not threatened,” he stressed.