The Guardian (Nigeria)

Ogun communitie­s allege unfair Lotto interchang­e alignment

- By Bertram Nwannekanm­a

Sconcerned residents of Lotto and Ogunrun Ori communitie­s in Mowe along Lagos- Ibadan Expressway have alleged improper and unfair alignment setting at the Redeemed Christian Church of God ( RCCG) Interchang­e Road at Lotto, Mowe.

They accused officials of the consultant assigned to carry out the alignment enumeratio­n, Eco Capital, of being biased, as well as displaying a foul- play in the exercise.

The residents said that the exercise was one- sided and not properly done as some property owners were being favoured.

This, according to them, was contrary to the Minister of Works, David Umahi’s promise during his visit to the site that there would be a review to ensure that the negative impact on the houses are minimised. They, however, accused the consultant of favouritis­m and judgmental, as there was a wrongful alignment being carried out.

They said that houses to be impacted by the new alignment carried out by the consultant were far more than the initial ones that the communitie­s had asked the minister to help reconsider in the appeal letter sent to him. “For instance, there is no fairness in the alignment because while they are taking up to 25.5 metres on one side, they take between 5.5 and 6.5 metres on another side, as if they are deliberate­ly sparing some buildings at the expense of others.

“In some cases, it is between 5.5 and 6.5 metres on one side and between 25 and 27.5 metres on the other, whereas they are supposed to take more than they did to ensure balance and fairness,” the concerned property owners lamented.

They, therefore, urged the minister to look into their complaints and help to address the anomalies in the alignment.

Responding, Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olukorede Keisha, said the government will look into the concerns raised by residents of the area.

She said: “What is happening around that side is that they are redesignin­g that place. So, the surveyors are just sent out for that. So, nobody is marking anything in any building.

“Nobody is collecting money, we are just trying to reduce the design so it won’t affect many people. If it was supposed to affect like 100 houses before, now we are reducing it to 10. So, it must affect some people, but we will see how it goes.”

 ?? ?? Affected areas at Lotto Interchang­e
Affected areas at Lotto Interchang­e

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