Mixed reactions as Fayose’s bulldozers pull down houses
old buildings like we have here in Ado Ekiti?,” while quickly adding, “but we can’t condemn Fayose because he is our leader and knows what is best for Ekiti.”
Another resident, Mr Pelumi Ojo, added his voice, “Gov Fayose’s demolition exercise and rebuilding of the city is a welcome idea. This is because the city is wearing a new exciting look. Whoever thought Ado Ekiti could be this beautiful? Look at the new Fajuyi Park, it’s more elaborate, bold and beautiful. See the flyover. In fact, by the time they complete the King’s market, you will be mistaking this city for one of those fine places in Abuja or Lagos. That, to me, is a welcome development, as an indigene of Ado.”
Defending his action, Fayose said part of the reasons for demolition was to save lives as the condition of most of the buildings was life-threatening.
He said, “We are not sparing anyone, no matter how highly placed or close to us. Recently, I had to demolish an old building which belonged to a relative of my Chief of Staff, Chief Dipo Anisulowo.
Even if it was my mother’s building that was found to be intruding into our road network or debasing the city, we would pull it down.
“There are buildings we pull down so that their owners can rebuild them to the taste of the emerging new city. There are buildings that had been poorly built. They have neither bathroom nor toilet, and it is depressing that the human waste from the poorly-built bathrooms and toilets of others have been rubbishing and debasing our environment, causing communicable diseases and others. We can’t continue to tolerate all these.
“It would interest you to also know that many of our people who have been complaining that we are pulling down buildings of their forefathers and erasing their ancestral homes have abandoned such buildings to waste away. They neither live there nor rebuild them well for others to live in. Many of these buildings have become dilapidated and wear ugly looks. We don’t want this in our new Ekiti.”
The situation assumed a more confrontational dimension last Friday when adherents and custodians of shrines engaged operators of bulldozers in a hot argument.
The bulldozers had returned to continue the demolition of structures located close to two shrines of “Ogun” and “Ejeye Oka Ere”, and two sacred trees anPdhothoe: rLasgtrousctGuorevst located within the premises of the Arowa of Ado Ekiti’s court directly adjacent the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti.
No fewer than 10 houses had been demolished the previous day and a total of four corpses exhumed, with seven tombs marked for exhumation.
Witnesses told Eko Trust that when adherents of the deities mounted resistance to ensure the shrines were not pulled down, a deployment of armed security men was drafted to the area, including to the entrance of the palace of the monarch, to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
The protest eventually led to temporary suspension of demolition work on the shrines. A family member of one of the corpses, who pleaded not to be named, said the compensation paid by the government did not touch on displacement of corpses or dismantling of shrines.
The state’s Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Tayelolu Otitoju, justified government’s action, echoing Fayose’s assertion that the aim of the exercise was not to deliberately render residents homeless and make life difficult for them, but was as a result of the rapid development going on in the state.