Oyo Govt contradicts lawyer, says it was responsible for demolition of Ayefele’s Music House
The Oyo State government has debunked its lawyer’s claim that it wasn’t responsible for the demolition of Yinka Ayefele’s Music House in Ibadan on Sunday.
The state government says it was in fact behind the demolition of the building.
Counsel to the state government, Yomi Alliyu, had told the court on Monday (today) that his clients couldn’t have “disrespected the rule of law” by demolishing the building when the matter was still in court.
The state government has, however, said it pulled down the property and was right o do so. It also said that no court order restrained it from carrying out its “statutory role in the public interest”.
Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Physical Planning and Development Control, Waheed Gbadamosi, said in a press briefing late Monday that government provided Music House with enough opportunity to regularise its building plan.
Gbadamosi said Ayefele was duly informed through several correspondences, adding that the action of the government to demolish the building was not politically motivated.
He said the building was discovered to have encroached into the sight distance of the Y-Junction along Lagelu Estate, and that a canteen, toilets, store, and powerhouse, which were not in the plan submitted, were attached to the wall fence.
The governor’s aide further said that the mast erected and staircase on site were also not included in the plan submitted, noting that the basement of the plan which was meant for car park had also been converted.
Gbadamosi said that a letter was sent to Music House on June 29, 2018, to submit a fresh building plan application that will reflect the existing structures on site and regularise the anomalies.
He alleged that the radio house deliberately ignored the letter until the demolition notices were sent on August 13, 2018, based on the earlier request for the submission of AS-Built Plan for approval, and that contravention notices had also been served to different organisations in the state since June 14, 2017.
He insisted that the building plan from Music House deviated from the approved plan, adding, “this made the approval null and void because a deceitful information was given to the approving authority.”
