Former Ogun State Governor's Wife Criticizes Governor Abiodun Over Demolition of Her Plaza

The wife of Senator Gbenga Daniel, a former Governor of Ogun State, has voiced her concerns about Governor Dapo Abiodun's decision to demolish her 5-storey plaza in Ijebu-Ode, labeling it as executive recklessness.

The Ogun State government initiated the demolition of the 5-storey DATKEM plaza in Ijebu-Ode on a Sunday morning. Senator Gbenga Daniel personally visited the site to assess the extent of the damage to the building.

However, the former first lady, through her lawyer, issued a statement condemning the governor's actions, deeming them illegal and expressing her substantial losses resulting from the demolition.

In the statement issued by Mr. Adeyinka Kotoye of PAGE Law Office, it was revealed that the government had disregarded court papers served on its agents, requesting them to halt all actions on the building.

The legal firm stated, "I want to believe that the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, was not informed of this illegality. But if he was informed and still decided to use the instruments of the State against our clients, it is nothing but executive recklessness. But we will continue to fight for justice and ensure that our clients get it."

The controversy began when the Ogun State Planning and Development Authority inspected the building on August 1 without prior notice. Surprisingly, a quit notice was served on August 31 by the same authority, giving the owner three days to vacate the premises.

However, Datkem had applied for the unsealing and regularization of the building on August 2, even paying the mandatory fee of N500,000 to the Ogun State government. The legal firm claims to have evidence of this payment. Despite this ongoing legal process, the Ogun State government proceeded to demolish the complex on a Sunday morning, seemingly ignoring the State Attorney General's advice.

The affected parties, as law-abiding citizens of Ogun State, have vowed to seek redress in the courts, continuing their pursuit of justice despite significant losses due to the demolition.

In response, the government argued that the plaza was an "illegal structure without an approved plan" and violated the state's physical planning laws and building codes, with multiple defects. The government claimed that its efforts to halt further development on the site had been consistently ignored by the developers.