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EXPOSED: Pretty Okafor, Kenny George DUPE, Steals PMAN’s N100million’ …… + The Heritage Bank, Diamond Bank Connections….. Full Details Inside!

Published

7 years ago

on

Says: ‘N12million Kept in Heritage Bank Acct No 0002775335, Lodges N80million in Heritage Bank Acct No. 5100155938 and N2million Kept in Diamond Bank Acct No. 0056423168’

* Narrates How they Fleeced Airtel, MTN, Heritage and Diamond Banks

* Under False Pretences Collect Fund from other Unsuspecting Companies

*Opened Illegal Bank Account in PMAN Name without Authorisation of our Trustees’

* Claims: ‘They Are Fraudsters, Criminals engaging in Money Laundering’

*Petitions Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police to Investigate, Prosecute them

 

DAMING ATROCITIES of two impostors, conmen and alleged fraudsters in the activities of Nigeria’s lull music body, Performing Musicians’ Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Pretty Okafor and Kenny George has exposed how they have been collecting various sums of money from different corporate bodies in Nigeria ‘all in the name of entertainment’. As at the last count, a hefty sum of N100million was discovered to have been deceitfully cornered from Airtel, MTN, Heritage/Diamond Banks aside other firms surreptitiously.

Making this shocking revelation known to Nigerians in a petition addressed to Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris by the appointed Chairman, PMAN Caretaker Committee, Kelvin Lucciano Gabriel in a joint referendum unanimously endorsed from the New Caretaker National Committee officially inaugurated by Honorable Minister of Labour and Employment, the document states that “On the 12th of July, 2016, a new National Caretaker Committee of thePerforming Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria – PMAN, was officially inaugurated by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige at the ministry’s office in Abuja. We have enclosed a recent letter from the Labour ministry to that effect, dated 26th July 2016 to buttress this fact and for your better understanding. The new PMAN National Caretaker Committee has been mandated with the responsibility to manage the affairs of the Union pending the conduct of a fresh National Delegate Conference, amongst others.

 

PMAN Trade Union Status

Regarding the trade union status of PMAN, Kelvin explains: “For your further better understanding, PMAN as a trade union was registered in 1984 under the Trade Unions Act and its activities are regulated by the Registrar of the Trade Unions under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.”

PMAN intra-union Bickering

Detailing various bickering in PMAN which obviously led to long lull in the association and provides lacuna for impostors to steal, Kelvin states: “For some years now, there has been intra-union bickering and controversy amongst our members which principally centers on leadership tussle. As a result of leadership crisis inherent in the union and to resolve all claims to leadership, the new Caretaker Committee under the Chairmanship of Gabriel Kelvin Lucciano was inaugurated after an elaborate nationwide PMAN referendum and consultations which was submitted to the Registrar of Trade Unions which culminated to the Honourable Minister’s inauguration of the committee on the 12th July 2016.

“As a Trade Union, PMAN has its constitution which stipulates the processes that must be followed to produce a legitimate President that presides over the affairs of the Union. The said processes are contained in Rules 8 of PMAN Constitution. However, Rule 13 (4) may apply if the circumstance arises. This Constitution is subsisting till date. It is on record that the only legitimate executive of PMAN before the ensuing of the current crisis was as a result of the PMAN NDC which was held in Kaduna in 2005 which elected Bolaji Rosiji and subsequently produced, Dr. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, MFR as the legitimate president of PMAN.

“Owing to the crisis in PMAN, some group of people including one Mr. Pretty Okafor, Mr. Kenny George and Mr. Ibezimako among others instituted a suit before the Federal High Court, Lagos in Suit No: FHC/L/CS/919/2012 and on the 31st day of October, 2014 the Honourable Justice O.E. Abang gave them a consent judgment. The existence of the suit was not made known to the Trustees of PMAN which as at the last known constituted executives of PMAN included Dr. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, MFR as President and Engineer. George Dureke as 1stVice President as stipulated in Rule 13 of the PMAN Constitution, neither were their consents obtained before the suit and judgment in the name of the Union.”

419 Activities of Pretty Okafor and Kenny George Exposed

Exposing Okafor and Kenny as criminals on prowl all over Nigeria deceiving corporate organisations, the petition reveals: “ “We were amazed that sometime in November, 2014 this same group of people led by one Mr. Pretty Okafor was parading a judgment of the Federal High Court asserting right to the Union’s leadership. We swung into action and discovered that the matter was filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos in 2012 long after the Federal High Court’s powers to handle Trade Union matters was taken away and given exclusively to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria. Effectively, federal high courts have no jurisdiction over Trade Union Disputes henceforth.

“We mandated our lawyers to set aside the judgment after which they subsequently filed papers before Justice O.E. Abang drawing the Honourable Judge’s attention to the clear Constitutional provisions as to the limit of the Federal High Court over a Trade Union matters and the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court over all Trade Union matters.

“On the 14th of April, 2016, the said fraudulent consent judgment was set aside by the same federal high court having accepted its lack of jurisdiction while upholding the exclusive jurisdiction of the Nigerian Industrial Court over the matter. With the recent setting aside and voiding of the frivolous claim to presidency of PMAN by Mr. Pretty Okafor, his claims has effectively come to a conclusive end.”

Okafor, Kenny Stole N100million PMAN Fund, Bank Account Revealed

In this petition sent to Nigeria’s IGP, Kelvin detailed how Kenny and Okafor duped, stole and laundered the sum of N100million belonging to PMAN. His words: “Sir, it has also become clear that soon after the so called ‘consent judgment’ Mr. Pretty Okafor and his team embarked on an elaborate plan to scam and defraud the unsuspecting Nigerian corporate community including the following:

Airtel

MTN

Heritage Bank

Diamond Bank etc

“They have subsequently obtained over one hundred million naira from these unsuspecting organizations and many others under false pretences and misrepresentation using the name of PMAN. They have received and laundered the proceeds of their scam through various illegal bank accounts opened in the name of PMAN without the consent and authorization of the trustees of PMAN.

“These fraudulent bank accounts include those they operate at Heritage Bank and Diamond Bank in Lagos. For the purpose of clarity, the following bank accounts have been used by Mr. Pretty Okafor and his accomplices to fraudulently obtain and launder various large amounts of money from corporate organizations using the name of PMAN:

Heritage Bank account number 0002775335 = N12,000,000

2nd Heritage Bank number 5100155938 = N80,000,000

Diamond Bank account number 0056423168 = N 2,000,000

 

“Sir, we the members of the newly inaugurated PMAN Caretaker Committee hereby humbly and graciously plead that your good offices should cease to deal with Mr. Pretty Okafor as the president of PMAN or any other matters relating to the music industry in the name of PMAN. Mr. Pretty Okafor is not and has never been the president of PMAN or any of its committee in any legal manner whatsoever. Mr. Pretty Okafor is in fact not a card carrying member of PMAN.

For your further better understanding, we have attached the following documents:

Full texts of the certified true copy (CTC) of the court ruling setting aside and nullifying the so called consent judgment by Justice Abang touted around by Mr. Pretty Okafor to lay claims to president of PMAN.A recent letter from the Registrar of Trade Unions under the Ministry of Labour and Employment clearly buttressing our assertions on the present state of affairs in PMAN.Photographs of the inauguration of the new PMAN Caretaker Committee by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige on 12thJuly 2016.

“A copy of the petition written to the police by Mr. Harris Ibezim Okeilo who acted as the treasurer to Mr. Pretty Okafor but who has since regretted his role in the fraudulent actions of Mr. Okafor using the name of PMAN to defraud corporate organizations.”

Kelvin’s petition to IGP ended with the following requests: “Investigate and verify the sources of all monies obtained by Mr. Pretty Okafor fraudulently by using the name of PMAN.

Investigate all the bank accounts opened illegally in the name of PMAN by Mr. Pretty Okafor for the sole purpose of laundering the proceeds of his scam from corporate organizations.Get Mr. Pretty Okafor to account for all monies he obtained from all sources by illegally using the name of PMAN

Prosecute Mr. Pretty Okafor for all his criminal acts of obtaining huge sums of money using the name of PMAN.”

As at the time of filing this report, there was no word of reaction from Okafor or Kenny, while we keep monitoring development on this issue.

 

SEE BELOW THE FULL PETITION TO NIGERIA’S INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE

The Inspector General of Police

Police Headquarters

Louis Edet House

Abuja, FCT

 

Dear Sir,

ILLEGAL USE OF THE NAME OF THE PERFORMING MUSICIANS EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA – PMAN TO OBTAIN MONEY AND OFFICIAL ACCESS BY DECEPTION AND FALSE PRETENCE BY MR. PRETTY OKAFOR, MR. KENNY GEORGE

On the 12th of July, 2016, a new National Caretaker Committee of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria – PMAN, was officially inaugurated by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige at the ministry’s office in Abuja. We have enclosed a recent letter from the Labour ministry to that effect, dated 26th July 2016 to buttress this fact and for your better understanding. The new PMAN National Caretaker Committee has been mandated with the responsibility to manage the affairs of the Union pending the conduct of a fresh National Delegate Conference, amongst others.

For your further better understanding, PMAN as a trade union was registered in 1984 under the Trade Unions Act and its activities are regulated by the Registrar of the Trade Unions under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

For some years now, there has been intra-union bickering and controversy amongst our members which principally centers on leadership tussle. As a result of leadership crisis inherent in the union and to resolve all claims to leadership, the new Caretaker Committee under the Chairmanship of Gabriel Kelvin Lucciano was inaugurated after an elaborate nationwide PMAN referendum and consultations which was submitted to the Registrar of Trade Unions which culminated to the Honourable Minister’s inauguration of the committee on the 12thJuly 2016.

As a Trade Union, PMAN has its constitution which stipulates the processes that must be followed to produce a legitimate President that presides over the affairs of the Union. The said processes are contained in Rules 8 of PMAN Constitution. However, Rule 13 (4) may apply if the circumstance arises. This Constitution is subsisting till date. It is on record that the only legitimate executive of PMAN before the ensuing of the current crisis was as a result of the PMAN NDC which was held in Kaduna in 2005 which elected Bolaji Rosiji and subsequently produced, Dr. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, MFR as the legitimate president of PMAN.

Owing to the crisis in PMAN, some group of people including one Mr. Pretty Okafor, Mr. Kenny George and Mr. Ibezimako among others instituted a suit before the Federal High Court, Lagos in Suit No: FHC/L/CS/919/2012 and on the 31st day of October, 2014 the Honourable Justice O.E. Abang gave them a consent judgment. The existence of the suit was not made known to the Trustees of PMAN which as at the last known constituted executives of PMAN included Dr. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, MFR as President and Engr. George Dureke as 1st Vice President as stipulated in Rule 13 of the PMAN Constitution, neither were their consents obtained before the suit and judgment in the name of the Union.

We were amazed that sometime in November, 2014 this same group of people led by one Mr. Pretty Okafor was parading a judgment of the Federal High Court asserting right to the Union’s leadership. We swung into action and discovered that the matter was filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos in 2012 long after the Federal High Court’s powers to handle Trade Union matters was taken away and given exclusively to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria. Effectively, federal high courts have no jurisdiction over Trade Union Disputes henceforth.

We mandated our lawyers to set aside the judgment after which they subsequently filed papers before Justice O.E. Abang drawing the Honourable Judge’s attention to the clear Constitutional provisions as to the limit of the Federal High Court over a Trade Union matters and the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court over all Trade Union matters.

On the 14th of April, 2016, the said fraudulent consent judgment was set aside by the same federal high court having accepted its lack of jurisdiction while upholding the exclusive jurisdiction of the Nigerian Industrial Court over the matter. With the recent setting aside and voiding of the frivolous claim to presidency of PMAN by Mr. Pretty Okafor, his claims has effectively come to a conclusive end.

Sir, it has also become clear that soon after the so called “consent judgment” Mr. Pretty Okafor and his team embarked on an elaborate plan to scam and defraud the unsuspecting Nigerian corporate community including the following:

Airtel

MTN

Heritage Bank

Diamond Bank etc

They have subsequently obtained over one hundred million naira from these unsuspecting organizations and many others under false pretences and misrepresentation using the name of PMAN. They have received and laundered the proceeds of their scam through various illegal bank accounts opened in the name of PMAN without the consent and authorization of the trustees of PMAN.

These fraudulent bank accounts include those they operate at Heritage Bank and Diamond Bank in Lagos. For the purpose of clarity, the following bank accounts have been used by Mr. Pretty Okafor and his accomplices to fraudulently obtain and launder various large amounts of money from corporate organizations using the name of PMAN:

Heritage Bank account number 0002775335 = N12,000,000

2nd Heritage Bank number 5100155938 = N80,000,000

Diamond Bank account number 0056423168 = N 2,000,000

Sir, we the members of the newly inaugurated PMAN Caretaker Committee hereby humbly and graciously plead that your good offices should cease to deal with Mr. Pretty Okafor as the president of PMAN or any other matters relating to the music industry in the name of PMAN. Mr. Pretty Okafor is not and has never been the president of PMAN or any of its committee in any legal manner whatsoever. Mr. Pretty Okafor is in fact not a card carrying member of PMAN.

For your further better understanding, we have attached the following documents:

Full texts of the certified true copy (CTC) of the court ruling setting aside and nullifying the so called consent judgment by Justice Abang touted around by Mr. Pretty Okafor to lay claims to president of PMAN.A recent letter from the Registrar of Trade Unions under the Ministry of Labour and Employment clearly buttressing our assertions on the present state of affairs in PMAN.Photographs of the inauguration of the new PMAN Caretaker Committee by the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige on 12thJuly 2016.A copy of the petition written to the police by Mr. Harris Ibezim Okeilo who acted as the treasurer to Mr. Pretty Okafor but who has since regretted his role in the fraudulent actions of Mr. Okafor using the name of PMAN to defraud corporate organizations.

We would appreciate your kind assistance by instituting a thorough investigation to:

Investigate and verify the sources of all monies obtained by Mr. Pretty Okafor fraudulently by using the name of PMAN.Investigate all the bank accounts opened illegally in the name of PMAN by Mr. Pretty Okafor for the sole purpose of laundering the proceeds of his scam from corporate organizations.Get Mr. Pretty Okafor to account for all monies he obtained from all sources by illegally using the name of PMANProsecute Mr. Pretty Okafor for all his criminal acts of obtaining huge sums of money using the name of PMAN.

Yours sincerely,

Kevin Lucciano Gabriel, Esq.

Chairman, PMAN Caretaker Committee.

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Illegal buildings: Lagos is victim of its own development – Tokunbo Wahab

Published

1 day ago

on

May 6, 2024

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab said the recent crackdown and demolition of illegal structures across Lagos State was an indication that the state is a victim of its own development.

Wahab stated this in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday.

He said the government of Lagos State is not battering its citizens but is rather just a victim of its own development, and as such, everybody coming into the state has got to come in and be responsible and be able to be accounted for.

“The truth is that no matter what the government does, there is a state of mistrust between them and the citizens globally. It is a global thing. My response to this is we are not battering them. You can’t say you are under the bridge and you want us to account for you. It is not habitable at all. It is not about battering people that are under privileged, we can’t do that. But it is about taking ownership. Lagos is just a victim of its own development.”

Speaking on the incident that led to the recent demolition of the illegal under bridge structure at Dolphin Estate Ikoyi, the commissioner said a whistleblower alerted authorities about suspicious activities under the bridge and following the tip-off, investigations uncovered a network facilitating illegal tenancy arrangements, with individuals, including women and young people, being exploited.

“The past few weeks and months, the state made a policy that we shall reclaim all our ungoverned spaces and we started out with Ijora under bridge, under national theatre, from there we went to Apongbon, Obalende, then a whistleblower called our attention last week Wednesday, he said he was jogging and heard voices under the bridge. He didn’t even stop, he slowed down and peeped in, took a video and sent it to my social media handle.

“Right there and then, I had to inform the governor that something was happening there and that we had to go, and he approved and the rest they say is history. What is not history is the fact that we have declared the ringleader wanted because somebody somewhere has been collecting rent and giving out spaces to individuals, women, young people and we have said to him that the long hand of the law shall surely catch up with him, no matter how long it takes us.”

He said efforts are underway to repurpose these spaces for beneficial use.

“We are also trying to put these spaces to functional usage. We have an agency called Glass pack. The role of that agency is to put these ungoverned spaces to proper usage to citizens.

“The one at Ijora, a design has been approved and it’s a CSR by a Lagosian who believes we can turn it to a football pitch and have some other games in there. Obalende has been taken up by one of the biggest telecoms companies in the country, MTN and the design is already in the works. Same thing we are going to do for Apongbon and the Dolphin area.

“So, what we are saying to the citizens is, don’t be vulnerable, no matter how desperate you are. If you have the means to pay two hundred and fifty thousand naira for a small space under the bridge, you don’t have to be in Ikoyi, you can go and live outside the Island or where you can pay for rent for a decent accommodation.

“We were even there yesterday and it was very emotional. We saw three young kids and I spoke to my colleague in the ministry of youth and social development and I said to him to take them to our homes and I will be personally responsible for them from now till they are able to go to the University and graduate and that for me is the path and way to go as a State.

“We are profiling each one of the tenants. I am not the one that will perform that duty. The agency under which they were arrested is profiling them. With the profiling they are going to remove those that were just there and then take the criminal elements or suspects to court on Monday.”

Wahab said several notices were served prior to the demolition as well as engagements with major stakeholders.

“I don’t demolish properties; I remove contraventions on the right of way of the drainage system or the canal and with respect to Mende…in 2021, my predecessor in office served them a notice and they had engagements that ran into months and years.

“In November 2023, we called a stakeholders meeting, we served notices before then and even marked buildings on the right of way and they came to my office and we had a meeting, played the video and they did admit that they were on the right of way but however pleaded that we reduce the right of way.

“On the issue of notices, they have been served enough notices. We served in 2021, renewed again in 2023, that is about six months ago. In my first life, I was a lawyer and notices are the first of every activity and we have served them and I am sure of that.

“If they have a genuine claim, they have a means to ventilate that claim and that is the court of law. The executives have done what they believe is overriding public interest.”

On government plans to curb reemergence of illegal structures in the future, he called on citizens to collaborate by reporting illegal activities, emphasising that the collaboration will aid the government in being accountable for the people.

“We have ramped up the capacities of our enforcement units, so they have to start pinning down officers in every area where we have ungoverned spaces and then we are relying on the citizens to take ownership and trust the government to do the right thing in the sense that when you whistle blow, the government will take steps of actions.

“With respect to those people who have no business to be where they are staying, what we are trying to push back in Lagos here is for us to be able to account for everyone that is in this space. For the sake of the generality of our citizens, if you come in and you are staying under the bridge, how do we plan for your education, for your health and for our own infrastructure to take care of you. If you are under the bridge, nobody can make plans for you.”

 

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Illegal buildings: Lagos is victim of its own development – Tokunbo Wahab

Published

1 day ago

on

May 6, 2024

By

The Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab said the recent crackdown and demolition of illegal structures across Lagos State was an indication that the state is a victim of its own development.

Wahab stated this in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday.

He said the government of Lagos State is not battering its citizens but is rather just a victim of its own development, and as such, everybody coming into the state has got to come in and be responsible and be able to be accounted for.

“The truth is that no matter what the government does, there is a state of mistrust between them and the citizens globally. It is a global thing. My response to this is we are not battering them. You can’t say you are under the bridge and you want us to account for you. It is not habitable at all. It is not about battering people that are under privileged, we can’t do that. But it is about taking ownership. Lagos is just a victim of its own development.”

Speaking on the incident that led to the recent demolition of the illegal under bridge structure at Dolphin Estate Ikoyi, the commissioner said a whistleblower alerted authorities about suspicious activities under the bridge and following the tip-off, investigations uncovered a network facilitating illegal tenancy arrangements, with individuals, including women and young people, being exploited.

“The past few weeks and months, the state made a policy that we shall reclaim all our ungoverned spaces and we started out with Ijora under bridge, under national theatre, from there we went to Apongbon, Obalende, then a whistleblower called our attention last week Wednesday, he said he was jogging and heard voices under the bridge. He didn’t even stop, he slowed down and peeped in, took a video and sent it to my social media handle.

“Right there and then, I had to inform the governor that something was happening there and that we had to go, and he approved and the rest they say is history. What is not history is the fact that we have declared the ringleader wanted because somebody somewhere has been collecting rent and giving out spaces to individuals, women, young people and we have said to him that the long hand of the law shall surely catch up with him, no matter how long it takes us.”

He said efforts are underway to repurpose these spaces for beneficial use.

“We are also trying to put these spaces to functional usage. We have an agency called Glass pack. The role of that agency is to put these ungoverned spaces to proper usage to citizens.

“The one at Ijora, a design has been approved and it’s a CSR by a Lagosian who believes we can turn it to a football pitch and have some other games in there. Obalende has been taken up by one of the biggest telecoms companies in the country, MTN and the design is already in the works. Same thing we are going to do for Apongbon and the Dolphin area.

“So, what we are saying to the citizens is, don’t be vulnerable, no matter how desperate you are. If you have the means to pay two hundred and fifty thousand naira for a small space under the bridge, you don’t have to be in Ikoyi, you can go and live outside the Island or where you can pay for rent for a decent accommodation.

“We were even there yesterday and it was very emotional. We saw three young kids and I spoke to my colleague in the ministry of youth and social development and I said to him to take them to our homes and I will be personally responsible for them from now till they are able to go to the University and graduate and that for me is the path and way to go as a State.

“We are profiling each one of the tenants. I am not the one that will perform that duty. The agency under which they were arrested is profiling them. With the profiling they are going to remove those that were just there and then take the criminal elements or suspects to court on Monday.”

Wahab said several notices were served prior to the demolition as well as engagements with major stakeholders.

“I don’t demolish properties; I remove contraventions on the right of way of the drainage system or the canal and with respect to Mende…in 2021, my predecessor in office served them a notice and they had engagements that ran into months and years.

“In November 2023, we called a stakeholders meeting, we served notices before then and even marked buildings on the right of way and they came to my office and we had a meeting, played the video and they did admit that they were on the right of way but however pleaded that we reduce the right of way.

“On the issue of notices, they have been served enough notices. We served in 2021, renewed again in 2023, that is about six months ago. In my first life, I was a lawyer and notices are the first of every activity and we have served them and I am sure of that.

“If they have a genuine claim, they have a means to ventilate that claim and that is the court of law. The executives have done what they believe is overriding public interest.”

On government plans to curb reemergence of illegal structures in the future, he called on citizens to collaborate by reporting illegal activities, emphasising that the collaboration will aid the government in being accountable for the people.

“We have ramped up the capacities of our enforcement units, so they have to start pinning down officers in every area where we have ungoverned spaces and then we are relying on the citizens to take ownership and trust the government to do the right thing in the sense that when you whistle blow, the government will take steps of actions.

“With respect to those people who have no business to be where they are staying, what we are trying to push back in Lagos here is for us to be able to account for everyone that is in this space. For the sake of the generality of our citizens, if you come in and you are staying under the bridge, how do we plan for your education, for your health and for our own infrastructure to take care of you. If you are under the bridge, nobody can make plans for you.”

 

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80% of Lekki buildings have no approval, says LASG….

Published

2 days ago

on

May 6, 2024

By

Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, stated that 80 per cent of buildings in Ibeju Lekki have no approval.

He disclosed this in a recent interview with newsmen.

He said, “Just last week Thursday and Friday, myself and the team were in the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis and you would agree with me that anybody passing through that corridor would see a lot of estates marked. We went there, and I can tell you that from what we saw, over 80 per cent of them do not have approval.

“The procedure to get approval is first to get the planning information, as to what those areas have been zoned for. In this case, what we have is agricultural land, and people now go to their families to buy agricultural land. Of course, those lands would be sold because those families do not know the use such land would be put to.

“The next thing to do is the fence permit. If you missed the earlier information on not knowing the area zoning, at the point of getting the fence permit, you would be able to detect what the area is zoned for. After that, the layout permits a large expense of land follows.”

Olumide noted that a layout permit cannot be obtained if it is not zoned for the purpose it was designed for or for the purpose it was being requested.

“So, you can see all these layers, but people still go ahead to start advertising. Some have even gone to the extent of displaying the sizes they want to sell. Imagine someone in the diaspora who wants to send money without any knowledge. Then, no approval is eventually gotten. Even if they pass the assignment and the survey to them, we would not grant the individual permit, because that area is not zoned for that purpose,” the commissioner explained.

In the same vein, the Chief Executive Officer of Octo5 Holdings, Jide Odusolu, said Lekki Peninsula’s masterplan got distorted post-2010 due to rapid development, with newer estates sidestepping old regulations.

He said, “The Lekki peninsula had a master plan which was originally launched when Bola Tinubu was the governor and updated under Babatunde Fashola. Almost all large estates along the Lekki corridor, especially those developed between 2000-2008, have approved layout plans. It was obligatory and rigidly enforced by the state government.

“However, starting in 2010, the plans became distorted with accelerated development, and many of the smaller schemes that sprung up deliberately sought to avoid the large infrastructure burdens carried by the legacy era developments.

“I am sure investigations with developers such as UPDC (Pinnock Beach), Trojan Estate, Aircom (Northern Foreshore), Cityscape (Buenavista), Howard Roarks (Lake View) and Octo5 (Ocean Bay) will reveal how they all spent huge sums providing infrastructure with zero support from the government while still paying punitive taxes.”

According to Odusolu, the government weaponised planning and titling for internally generated revenue, and that disincentivises compliance, leading to chaotic development.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Fame at Oyster & Co. Nigeria, Femi Oyedele, said most of the estates had layout plans that were not coordinated to form a planned city.

He noted that the communities that were not planned were the historic settlements that the government excised in the scheme.

“To do Lekki better, those estates which have been approved on the west and east arterial roads, which go down to Awoyaya on the east side and to Akodo on the west side of Lekki-Epe Expressway, must be demolished to make way for the planned roads.

“The kind of restoration done to Abuja by Nasir El’Rufai must be done in Lekki. Lekki Peninsular and Victoria Island have a population of over 3 million people. Glasgow has a population of less than 2 million people with twice the roads of Lekki Peninsula,” he enunciated.

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