Ogun State Government has debunked the trending report that it had sealed the property belonging to former Governor and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
It says it is unaware of the purported sealing
It reacted to the report on Monday through the Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Mr Tunji Odunlami, at a press conference at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta.
The government urged the senator to send a representative to the relevant government office to present documents for verification and obtain the necessary clearance.
According to the commissioner, the government usually follows a clear procedure whenever a property is to be sealed.
He explained that before sealing, a property is physically marked and a sticker or cross-sign indicating sealing is pasted on it.
But he said the notice pasted on the former governor’s property was not a sealing notice but a stop and quit notice, directing the property’s representatives to appear for clarification.
He said, “What we are doing now is no exception. This exercise was done in Abeokuta and is now extended to Shagamu and Ijebu-Ode.”
Odunlamo added that the exercise would also be carried out in Ota and Ilaro where there are Government Reserved Areas (GRAs).
His words, “All building owners served with the notice simply need to visit the issuing office with their permits and documents for verification.
“As we speak, Senator Gbenga Daniel has yet to do so or make any representation to that effect.”
He said the state government has a mandate to enforce physical planning laws daily, guided by law and public good, not the identity of developers.
The enforcement notices issued, he noted, are part of several ones issued regularly to support urban development and regulate land use in the public interest.
“The goal is not to victimise anyone who obeys the law,” Odunlami said, stressing that genuine developers respond through proper channels for plan adjustments or ratifications.
He added that the government does not concede the stated ages or stages of any development, as the law is very clear on the matter.
“The state’s physical planning law applies at any time to all developments, including those predating the law, and can be enforced accordingly.
“Section 73 states that an enforcement notice may be issued regardless of whether the unauthorised development occurred before the commencement of the law,” he explained.
Odunlami appealed to the former governor to send a representative to present documents for verification and obtain clearance from the relevant office.
“This invitation extends to everyone served with an enforcement notice, whether in Shagamu, Ijebu-Ode or elsewhere in Ogun,” he said.
