Members of Ijoka quarters, Oke, Ewi, Ado Ekiti, whose houses and structures were demolished more than four years ago have staged a peaceful protest over alleged non-payment of compensation for the demolition by the state government.
The family members of the community converged on the site of the demolished structures around Mugbagba area of Ado Ekiti and gave the state government seven days ultimatum to accede to their agitations.
The protesting members of Ijoka community who displayed placards with various inscriptions told newsmen that non of them had received a dime from the Ekiti state government ever since their buildings were pulled down to give way for the construction of a modern bus terminal by the administration of former governor, Ayodele Fayose.
Addressing newsmen during the demonstration, some of the affected building owners including Alhaji Bello and Mr Kehinde Adeosun acknowledged that government is continuum,saying that the community had written several letters and held series of meetings with the state government on the issue and this had not yielded any result.
” our dear ancestral homes were demolished in 2016 by the state government without any reference or consideration of hardship and the negative effects on the members of the community,
“We want to stress here that all other communities within the state capital and other towns acquired after the demolition of our dear community had received proper attention by the state government.
“A critical example was the large area of land acquired for the construction of Airport within the state capital and surbodinate towns where their members had received adequate compensation, ours should not be different”. They posited.
Another member of the community, Mr. Isah Ishola Bello explained that the development had negatively affected the family; saying that the present administration has not also fulfilled its promise to compensate them.
“Series of meetings have been held with the commissioner in charge of lands, some of the owners of the demolished properties here are dead, compensations have not been paid, enough is enough.
“We were loyal to the party, the present Deputy Governor came here to address people and we assured them that we will vote for them and we voted because we believe in this administration, now this is what they are doing to compensate us”. He lamented.
Also, the youth leader of the Ijoka Community, Mr. Olasehinde Omotosho who observed that about one hundred houses were demolished in the area alleged that only some members of the community who were loyal to the party of the former government had been compensated.
He said the Director General of the Ekiti state Lands and Urban Development, Mrs. Funke Falodun had met with the concerned families with a promise that government will pay them by January 2022 but that nothing has been received so far.
Mr Omotosho appealed to the state government to respond to their passionate yearnings by respecting the ultimatum issued out as the community would have no choice but to fight back back with whatever they have after expiration of the seven days ultimatum.
The community rounded off their protest by committing their matter into the hands of God for His intervention as they’d offers inter-denomination prayers.
When contacted, the Director General, Ekiti state Lands and Urban Development, Mrs. Funke Falodun confirmed that the state government had already met with the aggrieved families; saying that they will be compensated as agreed before the end of January, 2022.
Mrs. Falodun appealed to the protesting community to exercise patience, with an assurance that the state government had already approved the fund for the payment of compensations and it would be paid to them as soon as all due processes had been concluded.