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Islamic City petitions Buhari, Lawan, Fashola over ejection plans

Worried by the implications of the ongoing road construction project in their community, a group of Muslims in Ogun State, under the aegis of Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President Ahmed Lawan as well as Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola over alleged plot to drive them from their land at Pakuro- Lotto on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. According to the group, the contractor handling the rehabilitation of Lagos-Ibadan expressway intended to construct an overhead bridge on their settlement, popularly called Islamic City.The decision, the group said, was an attempt to eliminate the only thriving Muslim community in the area. Amir (President) of Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria, Khalifah Issa Olayiwola and Secretary, Ustaz Ahmad Atanda, explained that the flyover bridge, if not urgently corrected, would consume their six acres of land which houses residential buildings, schools, mosque, religious centres and the burial grounds of their founding fathers.

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 on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Pakuro/Lotto Bus-Stop, Mowe, Ogun State, Nigeria”, the group regretted that all attempts by the leadership of the Muslim community to prevail on the contractor to correct the imbalances proved abortive. It urged President Buhari, the leadership of the National Assembly and Fashola to intervene in the imbroglio. The group also urged them 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. Khalifah Olayiwola said: “The Muslim community of Islamic City is just one of the minority land settlements within the numerous faithbased/ religious settlements on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway populated by different Christian groups.

“It has become imperative that we urgently bring to the attention of Your Excellency to what we consider 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 construction of the interchange as an excuse. ”

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. “It may interest your Excellency to know that Zumuratul Jamiu Mumin Society of Nigeria (ZJM) under our founder obtained its first Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) over the current location of land in 1993 from Ogun State government and the Certificate of Occupancy, dated June 16, 1993, was registered as 48/48/458 at the Lands Registry Office in Abeokuta over the parcel of the land measuring 1.446 hectares. “We want Your Excellency 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.”

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