LP Alleges Ogun Govt Selling Public Housing Assets, Abiodun Administration Pushes Back

The Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has accused the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun of allegedly selling off public housing assets built with taxpayers’ funds, including the Ibara Housing Estate and properties managed by the Ogun State Housing Corporation.

The party described the reported sale of the Ibara Housing Estate as “a direct attack on the collective heritage of Ogun State,” warning that such actions could undermine the future of affordable housing for civil servants and ordinary residents.

The allegation was contained in a statement signed by the Labour Party’s National Vice Chairman (South West), Dr Abayomi Arabambi, and released to journalists in Abeokuta.

According to Arabambi, the estates were originally constructed to serve public workers and low-income citizens, not to be “quietly handed over to private interests through opaque and anti-people arrangements.”

“The reported sale of the Ibara Housing Estate is nothing but a direct attack on the collective heritage of Ogun State,” Arabambi said. “These estates were built to serve civil servants and ordinary citizens, not to be quietly handed over to private interests through opaque and anti-people arrangements.”

He called on prominent Ogun indigenes, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, and former Governor Olusegun Osoba, to intervene and persuade Governor Abiodun to halt the alleged sales.

Arabambi warned that the Ogun State Housing Corporation, established nearly five decades ago to tackle housing shortages, was being dismantled through what he termed reckless asset stripping.

“You cannot correct administrative failures by selling off the people’s inheritance,” he said. “This government is trading the future of Ogun State for short-term gains.”

The Labour Party also criticised what it described as a lack of transparency in the alleged transactions, insisting there was no consultation with residents, labour unions, the Ogun State House of Assembly or traditional institutions.

“There was no consultation, no public hearing and no disclosure. This is a clear violation of due process and an affront to democratic governance,” Arabambi added.

He argued that instead of selling public housing, the government should prioritise infrastructure development, housing rehabilitation and strengthening the Housing Corporation to fulfil its mandate.

“The government should be constructing roads, rehabilitating existing housing facilities and strengthening the Housing Corporation to fulfil its mandate of providing housing for all, not for a few emergency millionaires produced between May 29, 2019 and today,” he said.

Arabambi further warned that silence from elder statesmen and traditional rulers would embolden what he described as the erosion of public property.

“The silence of respected elders like Chief Obasanjo, Prof. Wole Soyinka and Baba Osoba will only embolden the continued conquest of Egba land and the erosion of public property,” he said.

The party demanded the immediate suspension of all alleged housing asset sales and full disclosure of beneficiaries and processes involved, in line with the Freedom of Information Act, claiming that FOI requests submitted more than two months ago had been ignored.

He also disclosed that the party’s legal adviser, Prof. Yemi Oke, SAN, had been instructed to commence legal action if the situation persists.

“Our lawyer has been briefed to initiate legal proceedings against Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Secretary to the State Government, the Commissioner for Housing and other relevant officials if this impunity continues,” Arabambi said.

The party warned that Ogun residents would resist any attempt to privatise public housing without due process, open competitive bidding and public consent.

“We will resist any form of privatisation that does not follow the law and the will of the people. All forms of land grabbing and lawless acquisition must be stopped immediately,” he added.

Government responds

Reacting to the allegations, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Mr Kayode Akinmade, dismissed them as unfounded, describing Arabambi’s comments as ignorant and irresponsible.

Akinmade said Arabambi was “speaking from a position of ignorance,” adding that his remarks were “flippant, lacking both understanding of government administration and basic decorum.”

He explained that Ibara G.R.A. is a Government Reserved Area and remains government-owned, stressing that developments there are part of the state’s urban renewal programme.

“The government’s urban renewal initiative has been applauded by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Professor Wole Soyinka. It is widely recognised as one of the best developments to happen in the urban centre,” Akinmade said.

Describing urban renewal as a global practice, he said it focuses on modernising cities and improving their outlook.

“When you visit the areas being referred to, you will see beautiful houses springing up along that corridor. This is a phenomenon peculiar to cities and is practised all over the world,” he added.

Akinmade maintained that beneficiaries of the initiative are Ogun indigenes who understand its value, insisting that critics have no right to dictate housing policy to the government.

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