…Ask Sanwo-Olu to intervene
Some aggrieved landlords and residents in Lekki Phase One, area of Lagos State, have called on Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in illegal street gates and road Access Codes instituted by the North-East Lekki Neighbourhood Association (NELNA).
The aggrieved property owners, led by Prince Ayoola Ojeikere, protested blockage of Admiralty Road and demand for Access Code to ply them by the NELNA.
While describing the road blockage through erection of gates as infringement of residents’ rights to movement on public roads, Ojeikere, the spokesman called on Sanwo-Olu to stop construction of such gates on government roads and issuance of Access Codes to ply them.
He noted that some groups of people by the name of residents association have been taking laws into their hands for selfish interest in the area, thereby making life difficult for others.
Ojeikere, whose property is on Fatai Arobieke Street, said that the issuance of access code to road users by NELNA, had increased the hardship and stress of both motoring residents and pedestrians, in accessing their homes and doing their businesses.
He noted that residents were subjected to trekking a distance from the gate to their homes, because commercial vehicles were barred from accessing the gates.
The aggrieved landlord said that the development has not only driven prospective tenants and business owners away from the area, but also brought mental disturbance to visitors and friends of residents.
Ojeikere said, “A group of people in the community have decided to install a huge gate on Admiralty Road with barricades that can only be accessed with codes into Fatai, Idowu Arobieke Street, Lekki Phase I and other adjourning streets.
“These codes have been used indiscriminately to victimise residents and stakeholders that refused to join in their unlawful act.
“We have approached some of the group members about this unlawful acts of restriction and blockage but to no avail.
“As we speak, nobody wants to come for rent in the area because of these shenanigans,” he said.
Appealing to Sanwo-Olu to verify the claims, Ojeikere implored the governor to enforce the law and abolish the unlawful act that had made businesses unattractive to people.
He said that such urgent action would avert a possible confrontation with residents, which might result in the breakdown of public peace.
“The blockage and gates in the middle of the main streets must be removed in conformity with Lagos State Law for free flow of traffic movement without hindrance or discriminatory restrictions to road users,” he said.
According to him, the aggrieved group has forwarded a protest letter to the state Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Environment, the Lagos State Building Control, Eti-Osa Local Government and held several meetings with relevant state agents especially at the Ministry of Transportation.
The group’s spokesman, who noted that he has been on Fatai Arobieke St. since 1996, said: “Muzzling people to pay for access code to ply public road built with taxpayers’ money is the height of illegality in the state and it must not be allowed to go on.
“The association has sent away most tenants here because of this illegal gate. I was told to come and pay N300,000 to get access code.
“If a client is coming, the NELNA won’t allow them to access the road until the Access Code is obtained. We are sending SOS to Sanwo-Olu because we don’t want to put the law into our hands.
“We have petitioned Lagos State through the Ministry of transportation, and the government is firm to say ‘it is wrong’.
“The Ministry ordered the removal but NELNA has continued to ignore it.”
While corroborating Ojeikere, Mr Afolabi Oke, another aggrieved resident on Posun Adekoya Street, noted that the gate closure during the day made life difficult for workers who needed to trek long distance on alternative routes to access markets that could have been accessed easily if Admiralty Road and others had been left opened.
Another aggrieved landlord, Chief Stanley Odijie, maintained that he had done his investigation and found out that NELNA was not known to the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, hence all their activities were illegal.
According to him, it has become a nightmare for visitors to come and visit them freely because of the fear of blockage of Admiralty Road with gate and request for access code.
Odijie, maintained that Mr Patrick Akinwuntan-led executive of NELNA exco was not the first in the area, stressing that residents cannot explain the reason behind the passion for the gate and introduction of toll through access code.
Other aggrieved residents unanimously said that operation of gates and issuance of access codes has become rampant, maintaining that Lekki is not an estate but a city.
“You cannot put a gate on Admiralty Road.
Some people went to the extent of banning commercial vehicles and people had to trek long distance to their homes,” they maintained.
Meanwhile, at a reconciliatory meeting on Sunday between some community leaders and aggrieved residents, CSP Ganiyu Raji, the Divisional Police Officer, Maroko Police Headquarters, lamented the development which, he said, has become a fashion around Lekki and environs.
Describing it as disturbing, Raji said that a lot of aggrieved property owners/residents had complained about the illegal closing of gates in the daytime and request for access code to ply public roads in the axis.
According to him, since the government’s directives, rules and regulations are clear on erection of gates, every approved gate must be left open between 5.00 a.m. and 12 midnight.
“Even a street where there are no security threats, a lot of people will still put gates to an extent that even uniformed security agents are required to produce access codes to enter a government road,” Raji said.
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