Ibadan Dry Port: “None Of Our People Collected A Dime” – House Owners Reject Oyo Govt’s Claims On Compensation
House owners at the Lapite/Olorisaoko community and surroundings in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo state have claimed that they have not yet received any form of compensation, in contrast to media reports that the Oyo State Government has finished paying compensation to house owners affected by the acquisition of 90 hectares of land designated for the N43.2 billion Ibadan Inland Dry Port.
The Oyo State Government was lauded for finishing the payment of compensation to people whose homes were damaged by the acquisition a few days ago by the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Honourable Emmanuel Jime.
However, in a prompt response, the affected home owners stated that they were shocked by the news because none of them had ever been contacted for any procedure leading to the payment of compensation.
They made this known while speaking through their spokesperson, Mr. Omotunde Samuel Olaleye, who is also the Central Chairman of the Residents and Landlord Association of Lapite/Olorisaoko community and environs.
In a press conference on Sunday at Lapite village in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Olaleye said: “We are here today to clarify the matter about the supposed payment of compensation to our people who are impacted by 90 hectares of land designated for the N43.2 billion Ibadan Inland Dry Port.
“We want to state here categorically that information being reeled out to the general public is not authentic. None of our people, be it our traditional rulers, settlers, or indigenes have collected a dime from the government.
“It is unfortunate that we are seeing this kind of thing coming to play at this point in time. Our people are already half-dead walking as a result of the acquisition of their properties. This issue started in 2017 and up till this moment, no compensation has been received. It is, however, on this note that we are calling on the Oyo State Government to please if any payment had been made to anyone, it should do the needful by publishing the names of the beneficiaries for transparency sake.”
According to several of the home owners who spoke with journalists, since the public learned about the payment of compensation, armed robbers have terrorized their inhabitants under the pretense that they have money stashed at home.
