Daniel gave spiritual father N5.4bn govt’s land –Panel
The
Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Land Allocations in Ogun State has
recommended the revocation of the 180 hectares of land allocated to
Divine Grace University, Ogere Remo, by the Gbenga Daniel
administration.
The state government stated this in a White Paper on the second and
final report of the inquiry into all land allocations, acquisitions,
sales and concessions of government properties and administration of
land policies, rules and regulations between January 2004 and May 29,
2011.
It said it discovered that the university, owned by the Primate of
the Church of the Lord (Aladura), Most Rev. Rufus Ositelu, was granted
the 180 hectares of land through the Ogun State Housing Corporation with
the approval of Daniel “without any payment except N3.5m for survey
fees”.
The panel stated in the report that apart from N20,000 and N500,000
application and survey deposit fees paid by Ositelu on January 30, 2010,
it found that Daniel directed that Ositelu should not pay N661, 635,
093 value that OPIC recommended as the total cost of allocating the land
to the applicant.
It also said Daniel also disapproved the corporation’s request that
the applicant pay to the government the sum of N36,179,800, “being the
cost of acquisition of the land to the government”.
It said, “Daniel subsequently further granted a rebate of 50 per cent
on even this sum of
N7m with the result that the corporation by its
letter dated 26th November 2010 had to again ask the applicant to pay
only N3.5m as survey fee.
“The commission is of the opinion that the then governor, Otunba
Gbenga Daniel wrongfully used state property (the land in issue) as a
gift to his spiritual father.”
The panel therefore recommended that in the public interest, the
grant of the 180 hectares of land to the university “be cancelled
forthwith and the land utilised for the original purpose for which it
was acquired”.
The panel said the government had promised to avail the allottee an
opportunity to apply afresh and pay for the land in line with the
government’s current land allocation policy.
The report said, “The current market value of the land is N5.4bn (at the rate of N30m per hectare) for 180 hectares.”
“An educational project would normally attract a 75 per cent discount and therefore the allottee would have paid N1.35bn.”
It added, “However, as a concession, the government will allow the
allottee to purchase the parcel of land at the previously assessed value
of N661, 635,093.00, provided full payment is made within 90 days.”
The commission also faulted the sale of government properties at Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, the state capital.
It said the Daniel administration in the last few months of its
tenure sold or leased government properties in the estate to public
office holders without due process.
The commission found out that some of the allottees were not even
public officers, but privately engaged, yet the former governor granted
them 50 per cent rebate in addition to the already very low prices fixed
by the OPIC.
It noted that some persons bought property for N12m but were granted
90 per cent rebate hence they paid only N1.2m, recommending that the
sale/lease be cancelled.
The commission also noted that properties purchased by prominent
Nigerians including former President Olusegun Obasanjo Hilltop
Residential Estate did not follow due process.
It said in the estate, many allottees, who applied and fully paid for
plots within the estate were not allocated plots, whereas some top
functionaries in the last administration had multiple plots allocated to
them.
