Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has reacted to the demolition of Crystal Place Mall in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Naija News understands that the government of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq demolished a building belonging to former House of Representatives member Moshood Mustafa over the weekend.
The development was controversial in Kwara State, further exacerbating tensions between Governors Abdulrazaq and Mustafa, despite both being affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It is gathered that Crystal Place Mall was demolished on Sunday night in the presence of security personnel.
Daily Trust reports that the tenants of the mall pointed out that the three-day eviction notice received by the government from the Kwara State Geographic Information Authority (KW-GIS) was issued on Friday for various violations.
However, KW-GIS Chairman Suleiman Abdulkareem revealed that the land was initially allocated to Mustafa for the purpose of establishing a commercial parking lot.
“However, he continued to build the shopping mall, but new discoveries found that the structure was in gross violation of the government’s land use permit issued to the owner on March 22, 2013. did.”
“Illegal construction creates obstacles to urban planning, road widening and environmental protection, which are key features of the government’s urban renewal programme,” he said.
He said the area was originally intended to serve as a green space for civil servants, retirees and the general public to enjoy leisure time at the newly established National Secretariat complex.
The agency announced that store tenants had been instructed to clear away their merchandise, stressing that the current urban renewal plan is designed to be in the public interest.
However, Mustapha through his media aide, Dr. Opeyemi Aregbesola, refuted the claim that the construction was in violation of the original permit.
He clarified that the approval received from the state Land Department in 2013 was for commercial use.
“Crystal Place, which is now being demolished, was built to approved building plans and was never encroached upon by government setbacks.”
“There’s no need to sugar coat it. This is pure political vendetta. Forced acquisition of real estate by governments is nothing new. It can be done to ignore the public interest, but there is a process to follow. .
“Evicting landlords without any regard for their constitutional rights reeks of political vendetta,” he said.
It is noteworthy that Governor Abdulrazaq recently fell out with Mustafa over the N17.8 billion renovation of Kwara Hotel.
The governor annulled a contract worth more than £5 billion previously awarded to Mustafa, citing lack of capacity, and then awarded the contract to Craneberg at a revised amount.
In response, Mustafa claimed that the mall’s demolition was an act of retaliation against the government’s advisers on new pricing.
This reflects the narrow-mindedness of the governor – Saraki’s reaction
In his reaction to the incident, Senator Saraki, a former governor of the state, said Governor Abdulrahman’s actions were insignificant.
Saraki, the Waziri of Ilorin, said it was common for some to think that he would remain indifferent regarding the mall’s demolition given his political connections with the owner, His Highness Moshood Mustafa.
Mr. Mustapha has previously held the positions of Commissioner, Special Advisor and Member of the House of Representatives under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but has switched allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has been active in the PDP framework since 2018. I have been against it.
“However, it is not my style to take positions on issues from a narrow parochial perspective. My view is that when responding to any issue, you should always look at the big picture, the broader perspective. It is violence against the people of Kwara State and the economy of the state.
“My decision to speak out against this action, which reflects the despicability of the governor and his government, which is anti-people and anti-economic development of the state, is irrespective of who is involved,” Saraki said. Ta.
The former lawmaker also accused the governor of using the sabotage exercise to “threaten, suppress and silence all Kwarans,” adding, “This is a sign of the growing unpopularity of everything the governor represents in the state.” This is the governor’s response to what is happening.”
“Why, after 64 months in office, has Mr. Abdulrazaq only just realized the flaws in the Crystal Mall structure and what he interprets as wrong?” Saraki asked.
