A group of Muslims in Ogun state on the platform of Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola over alleged plot to clandestinely eliminate them from their land located at Pakuro-Lotto axis along the Lagos- Ibadan expressway.
The group said that the contractor handling the rehabilitation of the road intends to construct an overhead bridge on their settlement popularly known as Islamic City, a decision the group pointed is an attempt to eliminate the only thriving Muslim community between the two Churches – The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Depeer Life Bible Church.
The group in a statement made available to journalists through its President (Amir) Khalifah Issa Bello Olayiwola and Secretary, Ustaz Ahmad Sulaiman Atanda explained that the flyover bridge if not urgently corrected will consume their entire 6 acres of land which houses residential buildings, schools, mosque, religious centres and the burial grounds of their founding fathers.
The group in its petition titled “OBJECTION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF INTERCHANGE DESIGN OVERHEAD BRIDGE AND THE GRAND PLAN TO CLANDESTINELY ELIMINATE THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF ISLAMIC CITY LOCATED ALONG LAGOS-IBADAN EXPRESSWAY, PAKURO/LOTTO BUS-STOP, MOWE, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA, regretted that all attempts by the leadership of the Muslim community in the area to prevail on the contractor to correct the imbalances proved to be abortive.
They however, urged Buhari, leadership of the national assembly, the minister of works and housing to intervene.
The group urged Buhari, Lawan and other stakeholders to prevail on the Federal Ministry of Works and the contractor undertaking the project to ensure that in whatever design of the interchange being implemented in the project, the land accommodating the Muslim Community of Islamic City is preserved.
The group said, “We write on the platform of the Muslim Community known as Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria located at the place called Islamic City along Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe, Ogun State.
“The Muslim Community of Islamic City is just one of the minority land settlements within the numerous faith based/religious settlements along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway populated by different Christian groups such as the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), The Deeper Christian Life Bible Church, The Mountain of Fire Ministry Church, to mention but a few.
“It has become imperative that we urgently bring to the attention of your Excellency what we consider as a glaring injustice, religious oppression and intolerance, and a deliberate ploy and grand design to cleverly eliminate the Muslim community of Islamic City from their current legitimate site using the excuse of the construction of the interchange at the present location at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Mowe, Ogun State.
“We say this because the ongoing project with respect to the overhead bridge/flyover and/or interchange bridge currently being embarked upon at Pakuro/Lotto bus stop of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Mowe, Ogun State is one that has been shrouded in secrecy by the contractor undertaking the project.
“We the leadership of the Islamic City have seen that within the stretch of the road being re-constructed by Julius Berger between the Lagos end and the Sagamu interchange, what we have in terms of the vehicular overhead bridges are flyovers except the one being constructed and adjoining area of land settlement known as the Islamic City at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe, Ogun State. For example, the first vehicular overhead bridge adjoining the Mountain of Fire Ministry Church is a flyover bridge while the other ones adjoining the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) are equally flyover bridges.
“The leadership of the Islamic City was equally informed at the various stakeholders meetings at the threshold of the project that what is being designed for the stretch of the road including the Pakuro/Lotto Bus stop are flyovers which will not have serious negative impact on the location of the various human settlements along the road project. Curiously and to the amazement of all, what is currently being undertaken by the contractor at this particular location has gone beyond a flyover bridge, but what appears to be an interchange bridge, which if not urgently corrected will consume the entire 6 acres of land of Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria and totally displace the only Muslim community settlement within the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“It may interest your Excellency to know that Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria (ZJM) under our founder obtained her first Certificate of Occupancy over the current location of land in 1993 from Ogun State Government and the Certificate of Occupancy dated 16th June 1993 was registered as 48/48/458 at the Lands Registry Office Abeokuta over the parcel of the land measuring 1.446 hectares.
“The current Certificate of Occupancy over the larger parcel of land belonging to ZJM was equally issued to the founder of the Islamic City, Mohammed Jamiu Adeyemi by the Government of Ogun State following a tussle over the payment of ground rent that led to an alleged revocation of the first CofO over the land in 2009. The new Certificate of Occupancy over the land now measuring 2.427 hectares was issued on 15th March 2009, and it is registered as 54/54/700(CofO) at the Lands Registry Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“It is important to also place on record that as at the time of the initial entry and occupation of the Muslim Community of Islamic City in 1992 and the processing/issuance of their title document in 1993, the Christian religious groups now sharing boundary with the Islamic City namely, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and the Deeper Christian Life Bible Church were nowhere on the land that they currently occupy on both adjoining sides of the Islamic City.
“The threat of elimination of the Islamic City was first observed in the year 2010 when RCCG forcefully took over 6 acres out of 10 acres of land owned by the founder of Islamic City (i.e Mohammed Jamiu Adeyemi) close to the location of the current parcel of land at Islamic City. The representatives of RCCG at a peace meeting held over the matter at the material time made it clear to the representative of the Islamic City that RCCG was prepared to pay whatever price for the relocation of the Islamic City to another location outside of the present place because the Church finds the proximity of the Muslim Community of Islamic City to the RCCG Settlement as inappropriate and unsuitable.
“It is common knowledge, Mr. President Sir, that the current ongoing overhead bridge (either as flyover or interchange) at the present location at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe Ogun State is principally meant to serve the interest of the Christian religious groups, particularly RCCG which at various times during their yearly events had caused serious hardship to motorists by the attendant gridlock on the Lagos-Ibadan highway;
“We are of the strong view and belief that the present site and location of the ongoing flyover/interchange at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe Ogun State is misplaced and has been influenced by the original grand design by the neighboring/adjoining religious groups to eliminate the Muslim Community of Islamic City from its current location.
“There are other suitable and less-damage impact locations that this same flyover/interchange could have been situated, but the contractor has chosen and/or elected this particular location under the fraudulent and mischievous influence of the other religious groups, particularly RCCG that is bent on getting rid of the Muslim Community of Islamic City from its current location.
“In view of the major and undisputable fact that the current flyover/interchange being situated at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe Ogun State is meant to service the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Community and Church’s University, it will be highly unfair, unjust, inhuman and nothing but a State-sponsored religious oppression for the Muslim Community of Islamic City to be displaced from their current location just to serve the interest of RCCG and Deeper Life Church;
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Mr. Raji Fashola (SAN) on the recent inspection of the project with the Governor of Ogun State Mr. Dapo Abiodun made statement to the press and confirmed when he stated – “We are trying to execute an interchange that will separate the main carriageway and give commuters choice, especially those going to religious places to worship, those going to Universities, and so on and so forth.”;
“The exact design with the original master plan of the said road project and the interchange has never been made public till the present and several efforts to demand for same at various stakeholders meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Works, with particular reference to this location of the interchange, has been rebuffed with disdain;
“Up to the time of this representation, the title document on the land, that is, the Certificate of Occupancy over the land measuring 2.427 hectares dated 15th March 2009, registered as 54/54/700(CofO) at the Lands Registry Abeokuta and housing the Islamic City has not been challenged and/or disputed in any quarter and no formal notice of acquisition has been served on Islamic City, but the officials of the Federal Ministry of Works have persistently broken into the Islamic City with threat of demolition by the markings of over 94% of the structures in the ONLY MUSLIM settlement;
“The Muslim Settlement and Community of Islamic City currently being faced with threat of extinction is comprised of government-licensed and approved Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Anglo-Arabic Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools which have hundreds of pupils and students, school buildings, library, staffroom, hostel accommodation, laboratories, staff quarters and many more. The settlement also has Muslim burial ground of historical heritage, houses, central mosque and praying grounds.
“Prevail on the Federal Ministry of Works and the contractor undertaking the project to ensure that in whatever design of the interchange being implemented in the project, the land accommodating the Muslim Community of Islamic City is preserved;
“Seriously consider a trumpet design of interchange for this ongoing project at Pakuro/Lotto Bus Stop, Mowe, Ogun State which will ensure minimal damage impact on the life and properties of the settlers of the entire Community”.
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