Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Monday presented Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to no fewer than 230 communities in the state whose applications for excision he had just approved.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the concerned communities had applied for excision following the acquisition of their lands by the State Government.

Most of the communities granted the excision approval and alternative land compensation for acquired lands are in Ibeju-Lekki. Others are in Ikorodu ,Badadry and Alimosho.

Some of the benefitting communities include Okun Alani Village (Ibeju Lekki), Osoroko Village (Ibeju-Lekki), Agunbiade Village (Eti-Osa) and Ilisioye Village (Badagry).

Presenting the documents to the communities Fashola said that granting of excision was to adequately compensate villagers for the acquisitions of their lands for development projects.

He said the government believed that giving of land instead of monetary compensation would offer the benefitting communities the commensurate alternative for their acquired land by the state government.

Fashola said land compensation for acquired lands by government instead of money was not new the state.

The governor said such arrangement was always bedeviled by some nagging issues.

Giving examples, Fashola said beneficiaries often came back to government to demand monetary compensation after they had been given land, while some further encroached on government’s land.

He urged the benefitting communities to desist from such acts, saying: “The government would not grant any other demands after the excision.

“It is important for all of us to understand ourselves. What you should have received was money for your land when the acquisition took place.

“Government over time decided some 30 or 40 years ago that instead of giving money, which is never enough, communities should be given land as compensation. That’s the history of excision.

“Some of the things we have seen, which we are now trying to correct is that some people after collecting their excisions come back and say it is not enough.

“Or some people after collecting their excision later jump on government land. That must stop.

“So that is why we are attaching conditions to the excision now. You cannot collect the excision and come back again and say you want money,” he said.

Fashola said another problem government had with beneficiaries of excisions in the past was that some of them developed their property outside approved plan.

He said some of the flooding and other environmental disasters in the past were as a result of some beneficiaries building along drainage paths.

Fashola urged the benefitting communities to avoid these issues raised by the government.

He said that the government would ensure all developments conform to physical planning prescriptions.

The governor said he would not want a situation where buildings would be demolished in the future because they were built on flood paths or on the road.

Fashola said the government would continue to promote development in the state and urged residents to always comply with the rules.

Mr Oladapo Olufowora, a member of the benefitting communities thanked the government for the gesture, describing it as commendable gesture.

He assured the government the communities would comply with the conditions attached with the excision in the interest of the beneficiaries and that of that of the state. (NAN)

•Photo shows Fashola

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