The man Jola Ogunlusi is a known campaigner and champion for sustainable development in the grassroots. He is the former president of FESTAC Town Residents’ Association (FTRA). He is presently the Chairman of Community Development Committee, a recognized team of reputable community leaders in the entire Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area. Aside from being a veteran journalist with enviable track records, Ogunlusi has been a strong voice in the campaign against environmental degradation and call for urban renewal in FESTAC town and his environs.
Following the recent demolition of some structures in FESTAC by the Federal Housing Authority which has raised lots of concerns from members of the public, Jola Ogunlusi told City People’s Jamiu Abubakar the plight of residents of FESTAC and why the ongoing demolition exercise is needed to restore the community back to its initial plans. Below are the excerpts from the interview. Sit back and enjoy!
What has been the concern of FESTAC residents over the years?
Yes, the history of FESTAC is a long one. The history of degradation is a long one. Before the new MD, Hon. Olugbenga Ashafa was appointed as MD of FHA, I had written series of letter to the different Managing Directors of FHA. I had even gone to discuss with some of them. Even before I left office as President of FTRA, I had meeting with Terver Gemade and he promised he would have started the exercise which Ashafa was doing now; that he would implement the judgment which we got on November 21st, 2005 that is years ago. But immediately after his appointment was terminated, and another person took over, the whole thing went into flip.
What other steps did you take after then?
Nobody approached that judgment. The judgment is a Consent Judgment that’s an agreement between the parties. Three parties were involved at that time: the FHA, the allottees who have invested money and have been given lands in the Buffer Zone on the Badagry express road and the one facing Second Avenue. The third person is the Residents’ Association. Before the issue of that Buffer Zone, we had already gone to court. The content of our challenge in court is that Buffer zone and open spaces in FESTAC. As we are in the court part of what we demanded for is the introduction of massive containers into FESTAC. The then MD, I understand he’s late now, Barrister Hassan Ibrahim met with us. In fact, 2 weeks after his appointment, we went straight to Abuja to meet the minister for environment and Housing, Mrs. Mobolani Osomo. She was then the minister. She agreed that she would come with us to Lagos and when we got to Lagos, we sat down and set up committee under the then zonal manager, Mr. Bassey carried out the exercise of removing containers in FESTAC. We removed 1681containers in FESTAC then which If we have not removed, FESTAC would have been worse than the Ajegunle of the old because the Ajegunle of today is now better. It’s now a renewed place. That was done. It was to be continued. By the time we were removing the containers, when we got to the second gate market, I had to plead with him not to demolish the second gate market. Because we were to demolish the market, Containers were already along the line where you now see people selling cars. Containers were there and that was part of what we fought for. I begged him and I said, we asked for that market because when we got into FESTAC in 1977/78, there’s nowhere to buy ordinary sugar or any small thing. Particularly when we first came here, our wives refused to come here because this place was a bush. So we need to buy things to stabilize ourselves before our wives start agreeing to come here. That is why we ask for a night market. Second was a night market and that’s I begged him not to demolish it. But put it on a temporary issue that you will move them to their rightful site in 6th Avenue when you have created and cleared the place for them to move in. So the agreement we reached stated that the market in the second gate shall be temporarily till they are moved to their main place in 6th Avenue. At the same time we agreed that mechanics were everywhere in FESTAC and they were dirty sites. We say all the mechanics should move to the Buffer Zone temporarily because a place was also secured for them in 6th Avenue. That’s what we call Mechanic Village. The design was very fine. In fact, it could have been one of the best in Africa because under the design, there is a place for those who want to sell spare parts; small parts that they can you to do their businesses. There’s cleaning space; toilets and bathrooms. There’s even clinic within the design that if they have a minor wound, they could easily go for treatment. When all are done and we finished this case, the FHA is meant to implement the decisions but they didn’t do it. That’s how the market in the 6th Avenue and the mechanic village in the 6th Avenue were abandoned.
How about the Mechanics whose workshops were demolished?
Mechanics are still in the Buffer Zone. They were recognized by the judgment. The market in the second gate was recognized by the judgment to be there for some time temporarily. We expect that on the implementation which they are doing now, actions would be expedited on taking them to right place in 6th Avenue.
How do you feel about the on-going exercise?
I must tell you now that I sincerely congratulate the Honourable Senator Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa for being courageous. In fact, when he was appointed I wrote him a letter congratulating him and I raised all these issues which are very necessary that he should do. And in his reply, he promised that he would look into that letter and address the issue raised there. So I’m impressed with this. Even though he was appointed September last year and he came it’s not too late. For the fact that he took the courage to carry out the act now, he deserves the praise of everybody in FESTAC because some people are already moving away from FESTAC. I have a number of friends who have houses here but have moved to even Banana Island because of the dirtiness, the way car dealers took over that place. Some structures that are supposed not to be there are there creating fears for decent people because of the situation of Buffer Zone. But he has courage to do it now. I pray for him God will bless him. God will help him to carry out the exercise to the fullest.
What next step do you think the MD should take in sustaining the urban renewal exercise?
Now other areas he has to work on. He must waste no time in implementing the issue of canal. In between the Badagry section and Second Avenue by our discussion, there must be 18 meters wide canal there. It must be 18 because at the initial discussion, the FHA suggested 10 but we discovered that people can fly across them. It would be difficult for anybody to jump 18 meters. We said at the side of the canal, tree should be planted that would serve as wind breaker because Buffer zone originally is to be a wind breaker and what we call wet land for Festac.
Another issue I will appeal to him to do is the issue of revenue. In the process of our discussion, when Madam Ms Ama Pepple. There was a crisis of which rate to pay. Lagos State was bombarding us with Land use charge. They have a right. We must rule that out because we live in Lagos and the need revenue. Particularly the local government here needs assistance from the state to do certain things for us here. But we are already paying grant rent which is the same thing as Land Use charge. So it would now amount to double taxation which the Lagos state law forbids. So we hide under that and when to court. So when Madam Ama Pepple came, she set up a committee that what we need is to harmonize that we should not deprive Lagos state of their revenue totally and we should not deprive the FHA of their revenue too. So let the committee meet and work out the modality of the payment that would be sort out between FHA and the state. What we were fighting in that case for was one payment and we object to double taxation. I call what they are doing urban renewal. It’s not only clearing Buffer Zone. There are other degradations within the town that have to be looked into. We said she should not sell open space. They have sold all the open space. Those areas were created as sinking ground to absorb water from rainfall. But all these area have been built up. If you are going along the road you would see a lot of kiosks which were not supposed to be there. But as resident we can’t remove them. The fault goes to the FHA. When you go to them they would tell you this is my letter of allocation. Nobody is stopping them anymore. So people are just building and building. Urban renewal is very important. It’s not only clearing the Buffer Zone, they have to come in inside the FESTAC to do some exercise too. That’s what we call urban renewal.
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