Daud Olatunji
The Lagos State Government has been taken to the Federal High Court in Ikoyi by two community groups, De Renaissance Patriots Foundation and Ibeju-Lekki Peoples Forum, demanding transparency over Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s recent claim that he paid $100 million for land in Ibeju-Lekki.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the groups are seeking an official statement from the state government on the payment and how the money was utilised.
In a legal motion filed on Friday, September 6, 2024, the applicants urged the court to compel the state government to clarify whether Dangote’s claim is true.
The statement read further said, if so, they demanded a detailed breakdown of how the funds were received, in which account they were deposited, and what the money was used for.
The motion also raised concerns about the government’s failure to make a public announcement regarding such a significant payment.
The suit, registered as FHC/L/CS/1603/2024, lists the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Attorney General of Lagos State, the Accountant General of Lagos State, the Permanent Secretary of the Lands Bureau, and the Lagos State Government as respondents.
The groups are pushing for an Order of Mandamus, which would legally compel the respondents to provide the requested information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Barrister Yakubu Eleto, lead counsel for the applicants, criticised the Lagos State Government for neglecting the affected Ibeju-Lekki residents, whose land was reportedly sold to Dangote without compensation.
He referenced a statement made by former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola in 2015, where he claimed that the land for Dangote’s refinery had been provided free of charge to support the state’s economic growth.
However, Dangote recently contradicted this narrative, stating that he paid $100 million for the land.
Eleto expressed the frustration of the Ibeju-Lekki community, which has endured nine years of neglect and hardship since the refinery project commenced.
He condemned the Lagos State Government’s failure to compensate the displaced residents, who have struggled with limited resources while the alleged $100 million payment remains unaccounted for.
“The people of Ibeju-Lekki have been left in the dark for too long,” Eleto said.
“We need to know where that money is and why it has not been used to benefit the community whose land was taken for this project.”
The case is expected to be assigned to a judge on Tuesday, September 10, 2024.
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