Popular Nigerian female singer, Yemi Alade is very angry with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Lagos State Government over the recent demolition of properties in Mende, Maryland.
The singer, lambasted the Lagos Government while she expressed her disappointment via a video message she shared on her Instagram page.
She said; “Lagos State, what’s going on? Does it make sense that people will invest millions of naira and dollars into real estate; buy houses and lands and the state government will demolish the place and render people homeless overnight?”
“This thing is happening repeatedly. Right now, Maryland, Mende area is on fire. People are sleeping in their houses, waking up the next day, homeless.”
“You’re ruining the real estate value of the state and country, making people lose trust not only just in the idea of Nigeria but lose hope entirely in the little coins they saved to make their lives worthwhile. How is this okay? Why why?”
However, speaking on the matter, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab via his X page, wrote; “We also visited Mende Villa, Maryland where the Developer initially claimed there was a drainage approval on the property.”
“The Directors who were in the know of what transpired at the time, were invited to speak on the issue but confirmed that the Developer was given temporary and conditional approval to leave a 20m setback from the edge of System 1 but he encroached on the setback thereby obstructing the flow of rainwater.
“However, by the magnanimity of Governor @jidesanwoolu, the ROW was approved to be reduced to 100 meters from 140 and spread on a 60/40 basis (60 Mende /40 Ogudu) instead of the initial 140 sitting on the Mende side.”
“The instruction to immediately continue the removal of all structures on the alignment has been given to the enforcement team after the 1st notice to remove was served on them in 2021 and the last notice was served in November 2023 after the meeting with the stakeholders.”
However, in another series of tweets, the singer questioned the authority of Lagos State over the approval of the buildings.
She wrote; “Why and how was the building APPROVED in the first place! @followlasg.”
“You have commissioned several building plans in conjunction with Legrande and gained the trust of many. Why dash it all with this one blow? 2hrs notice is trivial!”
“Send notices to the residents directly! Put it in the news! Showing up like santa clause and issuing 2hr notice is trauma unleashed for undeserving citizens. They are not the developer and yes the developer has also failed residents!”