Ijaiye Medium Income Housing Estate Association and Agege Local Government Chairman Trade Words Over Alleged Misconduct

The Trustees and Executive Committee of the Ijaiye Medium Income Housing Estate Development Association (Phase 1), Agege, Lagos, have raised serious concerns over the alleged actions of Hon. Kola Ganiyu Egunjobi, the Chairman of Agege Local Government, which they claim are threatening the peace and security of their community.

In a press release, the Estate provided detailed accounts of a series of incidents involving Egunjobi that have reportedly disrupted the community’s tranquility and caused widespread concern among residents.

However, in a swift reaction, Agege Local Government Chairman Egunjobi described as blatant lies the allegations of breach of peace leveled against him by the Residents Association of Ijaiye Medium Income Housing Estate.

He stated that ever since living in the Estate, he has remained law-abiding, paid all his dues regularly, and provided support to the Estate based on requests.

•Background of the Dispute

The controversy dates back to the construction of the Pen Cinema bridge and the dualization of Oba Ogunji Road, during which the Estate ceded land to the Lagos State Government for public use. The State Government, in return, enhanced the aesthetics of Agege town, meeting its obligations to the community.

However, tension began in January 2021 when Egunjobi allegedly started constructing a car wash on the setback land left after the road construction. This action prompted the Estate’s leadership to file a petition with the Lagos State Government, resulting in a stop-work order issued by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

•Escalating Incidents

The situation escalated further in May 2022 when Egunjobi attempted to gain unauthorized access to the Estate. Security guards, enforcing community rules that restrict entry to vehicles with Estate stickers, denied him entry, leading to an altercation. Later that day, Egunjobi reportedly returned with a group of thugs who dismantled the security barrier and assaulted the guards.

Similar confrontations occurred in June 2022, and in April 2024, when a vehicle belonging to Egunjobi’s office was vandalized within the Estate. Despite the Estate’s efforts to address the situation and report the incident to the authorities, Egunjobi allegedly retaliated by having the security guards detained, with one guard still reportedly held in Kirikiri Prison without bail.

•Recent Developments

In the most recent incident, the same vehicle was vandalized again within Egunjobi’s premises. The Estate has since requested CCTV footage to investigate the recurring vandalism, which they describe as a “strange, recurring, and embarrassing nefarious act.”

•Call for Intervention

The Ijaiye Medium Income Housing Estate Association called on the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to intervene and address the actions of Egunjobi, which they describe as “executive recklessness.”

They emphasized that the rules and regulations established in the Estate since 1993 must be respected and that their appeal for intervention should not be mistaken for weakness.

Defending the allegations against him, Egunjobi stated that the disagreement started when the council constructed a car wash on a setback at a location originally occupied by hoodlums after the construction of Agege Bridge.

The council boss explained that the decision was made to prevent the hoodlums from returning to the spot and to empower those ready to work. He was, however, surprised by the outright rejection of the idea by the Estate Association.

Regarding the arrest and detention of Estate security officials after his car was vandalized, Egunjobi noted that the police in Agege took up the matter days after the Estate Residents Association failed to act on it.

The Chairman challenged the Estate leadership to deny that he had given them attention and even provided the contact information of the person who installed the CCTV camera at his residence for interaction after the second occasion when the car was vandalized just after being repaired.

Egunjobi quoted the Chairman of the Estate as telling the DPO at Agege Police Station that the matter should be charged to court.

He concluded that it is worrisome that the Estate Residents Association is determined to wage a needless war against him after his property was vandalized on two occasions near a security post.