Owners of buildings demolished in Osogbo, during the last administration in Osun State have urged Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to come to their aid by paying their compensations.
Led in the protest by their Chairman, Oladejo Moshood, the Landlords’ Association, disclosed that the former governor, Rauf Aregbesola demolished their houses in order to pave way for road construction.
They added that after the demolition, he promised to pay them, but until the expiration of his tenure, the promise was not fulfilled.
Moshood, who revealed that no fewer than 14 affected persons have reportedly died since 2012, noted that the deceased persons waited for a long time for the government to pay the compensation, but to no avail.
In his words, “Apart from those who have died, many who are still alive are facing serious challenges with their families.
“Many have gone to borrow money from the bank and various cooperative societies to start re-building or re-constructing their destroyed buildings, as most of them and their families have no place to lay their heads.
“As I speak with you now, many houses are under construction, but the owners do not have money to complete it“, he stated.
Reacting, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Civic orientation, Funke Egbemode urged the affected landlords and landladies to be patient with the government, as efforts were on to ensure they got their compensation within a short period of time
Egbemode explained that the government will leave no stone unturned in making life pleasant for its citizens.
The affected home owners, it was learnt, were drawn from Olonkoro, Olorunda, Old Garage, Ajegunle, and Igbona and other areas in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
In the midst of the placard carrying protesters, who staged a peaceful protest over the refusal of the State government to pay them over N1 billion compensation 11 years back, was an 85-year-old octogenarian.
