71-Year Old Widow Begs Ambode To Resolve Her Magodo Property Takeover

A 71-year-old widow, Mrs Edna Osaghae has begged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to resolve the mystery surrounding the illegal takeover of her property in Magodo by government officials.
She, however, commended Ambode over his swift intervention to halt alleged plans by some officers in the office of the State’ Surveyor General to illegally take over her property in Magodo area of the State.
Osaghae had, in a petition dated September 20, 2017 to the Governor, recalled how troubled started when she applied to regularise the title of the property after the demise of her husband and two favourable judgements of Lagos High Court and Supreme Court.
The widow had been living in the said property situated at No 2, Roberts Street, Magodo, G.R.A, Phase 2 for the past 33 years having purchased it with her late husband in 1975.
In a letter dated November 10, 2017, Osaghae said she was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from the office of the Governor just after seven days to the effect that something was being done on the petition.
She said: “I cried for help to the Governor and to my utmost delight and despite his hectic and busy schedule, the Governor did me the honours of swiftly responding to my plea. I had never thought in my lifetime I would see this day where a hallowed and esteemed Governor would be so dedicated to the masses as to swiftly attend to the letter of a weary ad aged widow like myself.
“Never has it been heard of in the history of this great State and Nation. This unprecedented act of His Excellency alone makes his reign unparalleled and it is my sincere hope that the Governor’s contemporaries and successors emulate this revolutionary example.”
The widow urged the Governor to see to the final resolution of the matter as the office of the Special Adviser on Urban Development, Mrs Yetunde Onabule was yet to come up with anything concrete except a letter dated October 10, 2017 assuring her that the file was being treated.
According to the petition, Osaghae who attached the survey plan of the property dated October 23, 1985 and the said two judgments, alleged that some people with vested interest were working in concert with government officials to wrestle the property from her.
She said: “Surprisingly, certain people with vested interest are trying to wrestle my property from me because some people have promised them gratification and thus they are hell bent on pushing me out of my house or subdividing it for their illegal personal interest.
“I also gathered from the Office of the Surveyor General that based on my request to regularise my title with a Certificate of Occupancy (Cof O) for the property, that there is a plan to subdivide my property without considering the previous decision of both Land Bureau and New Town Development that the subject site should be redesigned which is in line with the directive of Hon Justice Adefope-Okojie in Suit No ID/1261/96.
“Be it noted that in the last one year or thereabouts, officers from the Surveyor General’s office have visited my house three good times, the third of which was illegally done in my absence as I was neither notified of their visit nor did they book any appointment with me, all in the name of surveying my property which is covered by an already existing survey plan of Magodo scheme and I think they are using this as a delay tactics in a bid to take over my property, subdivide it and delay my C of O which I have applied for almost two years now with nothing forthcoming nor any reasonable explanation for the delay,” Osaghae said.