From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Residents of Aerodrome Estate, Samonda, Ibadan in Oyo State have sent save our soul message to the state governor, Seyi Makinde, over siting of gass plant in the Ibadan old airport that has been converted to a residential estate, following development of a new airport at Alakia in the same Ibadan.
The residents raised the alarm that the development posed serious danger to the estate. They argued that the gas plant was being developed in contravention of the laid down procedures for doing so.
Vice Chairman, Aerodrome Estate Home Owners and Residents, Prof. Mojisola Atalabi, who addressed journalists during a protest against the gas plant in the estate, said a letter has been written by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to the management of the gas plant to suspend work on the site. She alleged that work has resumed again, adding that the rate at which the construction was going was suspicious.
Her words: “We have our ears on the ground. The Owner of the plant is boasting that we cannot do anything because they have money, connections and political backup.”
“We wrote to the government, we protested, we went to DPR, we went to Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Environment, and even Ministry of Energy. We were told that something will be done. But the next thing we see is the resumption of work at the site, and they are working both days and night.”
Another resident in the estate, Akinkole Babalola, an architect, said: “We wrote letters and backed them up with documents to convince the government to know the illegality of the gas plant, and government has promised to do something about it. But till now, nothing has been done on it.
“We have sent a letter to Ministry of Physical Planning and also the DPR to know what has transpired and the outcome of their findings, and also to know the condition upon resumption of work in the site.”
He however appealed to the state government to considered safety of lives of the residents above other things, saying that the gas plant is very dangerous to the residents.