No fewer than 300 occupants of the Police Officers’ Wives Association, POWA, Shopping Complex in Ikeja, Lagos, have urged relevant authorities to investigate a purported demolition of the complex.
The tenants, who complained that if the demolition was accomplished, they would be displaced and their sources of livelihood taken, said the POWA executives should be called to order.
According to them, a letter was received from an unknown developer, who had marked their shops for demolition due to structural defects.
Speaking to newsmen, the immediate past Chairman of the Computer Dealers Association, CDA, Mr Trust Tobechukwu, urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to salvage the situation, saying a related development had transpired in the past.
He said: “Sometime in 2019, the plaza was marked for demolition and when we inquired which included visiting the Force Headquarters in Abuja, we discovered that it was not from the right source. Meaning that somehow, a developer who had connection tried to corner people to demolish the plaza. When we voiced out to the world, they rescinded that decision and left.
“We are calling on the relevant authorities including the Inspector General of Police and other police officers to step into the situation and salvage it. Unlike the other time in 2919, we were formerly given a notice that they were going to demolish the plaza, but this time, no formal notice was given.
“We were only told that they are going to demolish the plaza and every one of us should leave. Our landladies who are supposed to give us notices of such development are yet to do so.”
Also speaking, Iyaloja of Computer Village, Abisola Azeez, said there were no reasons for the complex to be marked for demolition, adding that from all indications, the plaza was in good condition.
She said: “They have always been giving us issues, but God has been with us. This time, what they are saying is that they want to demolish the place and we asked for what reason. It is a known fact that we have been maintaining the building and we have developed this place for years. To our dismay, I don’t know why they want to dislodge us all. There is no structural defect or anything.”
Also, the Chairman of CDA Plaza, Mr Tayo Shittu, said: “Our landladies are in accord with whatever we do. We reached them and there is a letter we received from Achiever Greatness (the developer), which they denied. We are using this medium to call on the IG’s wife to help us out from the developer bent on bringing the place down. What they are presenting to us is that the structure has defects which isn’t true.”
On his part, Mr Chimaeze Iwuji, a trader at the POWA Phase 2 complex, said: “Sometime in July 19, we were called to a meeting in which we were told about the demolition. To everyone’s surprise, we were told that we had 30 days. However, we told them that if a demolition would take place, we should be given a written note from the appropriate authorities, but they said no, it would be done in confidence.”