Osborne Estate residents caution developer against canal blockage

Residents of Osborne Foreshore Phase 2 Estate in Ikoyi, Lagos have frowned at the activities of a developer, Kenshad International Limited, warning that construction at a site by the firm could lead to blockage of a canal, increasing flooding risks with serious consequences for them and people in neighbouring areas. But the developer said he followed due process and that there was no way he would block the canal. The residents have, therefore, called on the state government to investigate the activities of the company to prevent further infractions, saying the developer has created an unauthorised back gate through which thugs were brought into the estate to intimidate those who questioned its activities. They accused the developer of using soldiers, police and unscrupulous officials of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to harass and intimidate them. The residents said the developer had relied on a purported joint-venture arrangement with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to justify its activities. They urged the state government to examine the arrangement and establish whether the project had complied with environmental and safety requirements. Drama played out at the weekend at the estate where the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, was locked out of a controversial construction site in Osborne Foreshore Phase II Estate, Ikoyi, by Kenshad International Limited. Read Also: Kano counts losses as fire razes 110 shops at Kofar Ruwa timber market Hamzat, accompanied by a high-powered delegation of government officials and political leaders, waited for more than 30 minutes at the entrance to the development named Abba Court on Mahogany Close, but the gates remained shut. The incident occurred during a visit prompted by complaints from residents, who accused the developer of engaging in unauthorised activities they said could threaten the safety and environmental integrity of the estate. The deputy governor expressed displeasure over the developer’s conduct and assured residents that the state government would investigate the complaints. At a meeting with Hamzat tagged “Osborne Phase II Residents and Public Leaders Dialogue,” residents accused Kenshad International of constructing beneath high-tension electricity lines, constructing slabs over a canal, and carrying out sand-filling that have narrowed the water outlets in the estate. Hamzat stressed that land use, physical planning and development control fall in the jurisdiction of state governments. Citing Supreme Court rulings, he argued that the Federal Government cannot simply assume the role of a state town planning authority or issue building permits in place of the relevant state authorities. He pledged that the state government would look into the developer’s activities. Hamzat was accompanied on the visit by former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; Senator Wasiu Eshilokun Sanni, representing Lagos Central Senatorial District; Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa Constituency in the state House of Assembly; commissioners and others. Hamzat is also the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the February 6, next year’s state governorship election. The Managing Director, Kenshad International Limited, Ken Ukaoha, has denied allegations that his company blocked a canal and locked Hamzat from the construction site. Ukaoha said the site was closed because of a government-issued circular directing construction to stop temporarily, insisting that the closure was not intended to prevent the deputy governor or any government official from accessing the property. The developer said he was not in Lagos when the incident occurred and had not received any notification that the deputy governor or other government officials intended to visit the site. He said: “Nobody locked the deputy governor out of the site. The site was locked because nobody was there. They gave a circular that we were meeting. So, everybody was away. It is a construction site, and nobody was there.” Ukaoha said he had been invited to a meeting over allegations of canal blockage and land grabbing, describing the controversy as a dispute between his company and a neighbouring property owner. On the allegation that his company blocked a canal, Ukaoha said he funded the construction of part of the drainage infrastructure in the estate. He said: “As I am talking to you, that canal in question, I did the canal with my money. The Royal Palm, where I did half of it with my money.” He also claimed that the canal being discussed was not connected to any other drainage channel, adding that the company had undertaken drainage in the area with the involvement of government officials. Ukaoha maintained that his company had obtained government approval for its construction and had paid the fees. He said officials of the state Ministry of the Environment had visited the site several times, insisting that the company had not violated any law.