From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
There is an uneasy calm in Oyo town and Ogbomoso in Oyo State over the refusal of the Federal Government to pay scores of people, whose landed property and crops were claimed by the dualisation of Oyo-Ogbomoso Road, which is Section II of Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway, over the N2.8billion balance of their compensation since 2011.
The affected property owners converged on a facility at Ajilete community, Gambari, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State two weeks ago and appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to ensure the payment of the balance of their compensation. But two weeks after the affected property owners raised the alarm, they have renewed their calls to Buhari to intervene so that the compensation could be paid.
The affected people, who spoke with Saturday Sun include Johnson Ayoola Ireti-Ayo, Sarah Omotolani, David Oladayo, Pastor Iyanda Kolawole, Segun Adegun, Moses Olarewaju, Ajoke Ojo-Oba, Oguntola Ajibola, and Titilayo Aremu. They submitted that the Federal Government should consider payment of the remaining compensation in reality with the current inflation rate in Nigeria, which has jerked up prices of commodities up.
When this reporter visited the affected community in Ogbomoso, it was observed that many of the houses have been marked but they not been demolished. The construction company, handling the project for the Federal Government has not worked at all in a portion of the community. The affected people have not been at peace on the grounds that caterpillars could be mobilized to the site anytime and demolition of there property would be carried out.
