UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB, reports that fears have gripped some owners of properties along pipeline roads in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, following a quit notice served them by the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC)
There is anxiety amongst some property owners along pipeline road in Tanke area of Ilorin South local government area of Kwara state, as the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) marks hundreds of properties worth millions of naira for demolition.
Demolition notice
The exercise according to the demolition notice on the properties is expected to commence on 20th March, 2018.
Some of the affected structures are Residential buildings, schools, hall and event centres, religious houses, “F” Divisional Police Station, shops, office buildings, warehouses hotels, among other building.
The exercise will affect some of the fences of the affected buildings, walls, whole building, among others.
The affected buildings were marked with red paint with inscription “NNPC Remove, 6.5m,13.8m, 10m, 15.6m “.
The property stretched from the Roemichs International School, down to the Kwara state Judges
Quarters, pipe line road Tanke.
Affected Properties
But owners of the affected properties claimed that they received a short notice and appealed to the concerned government agencies to suspend the planned action.
One of the owners of the affected properties, and a retiree, Elder Rapheal Lanre Titiloye, told Blueprint that “it was just on Tuesday (March 13) that we saw some fully armed military officers and some officials of the NNPC.
“They saw the team with some instruments meant for the discovering of oil pipe lines and for marking of houses and other properties”.
According to him, “officials and NNPC told us that they are sent to come and officially inform some of us to remove our properties as some of the properties have violated building rules of the government particularly those places where there is oil pipe lines”.
He explained, “immediately we got the information of the demolition, we the affected properties’ owners called ourselves and we went to the Ilorin office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Kwara State Town Planning Development Authority.
“We are told at the DPR office to contact the NNPC office at Ishagamu, Ogun State, or the head office of the NNPC at Abuja as they (DPR) don’t have any knowledge about the development in the area”.
Titiloye said some of the owners of the affected properties acquired their land and built their various buildings about 30 years ago.
He informed that many of the affected properties were own by retirees, widows, aged persons, low income earners among other people.
No Case of Vandalization
Titiloye, said no case of vandalization of any oil pipe line has been recorded in the area, assured that the people of the area would continue to support government in the monitoring exercise of oil pipe lines and other properties belonging to the government.
Titiloye, however appealed to the federal government, especially the management of the NNPC to have a rethink and withdraw their plans not to embark on the demolition exercise as such action would render many homeless.
He added that, “most of the affected structures are serving as the only means of livelihood to the various owners of the buildings”.
He said the properties have been marked for demolition on today , March, 20 2018.
