Residents of Osogbo, whose shops and houses were demolished along the MDS, Ola-Iya, and Fakunke axis of the town, on Monday, staged a peaceful protest over the non-payment of their compensation by the state government.
The protesters, in their large numbers, stormed Government House at Oke-Fia, with placards, appealing to the state government to pay their compensation.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards include “Gov. Oyetola, We Waited Enough, Please Do The Needful, Pay Us Our Compensation,” “Pay Our Compensation, Many of Us Are Dead,”
Addressing newsmen at the scene of the protest, Funke Afolabi, spokesperson of the protesters, said their buildings were demolished in 2013 by the state government
Afolabi said the affected owners of the building were promised compensation by the state government, but all efforts to get it had proved abortive.
She said Gov. Oyetola, who was the Chief of Staff to the then governor, Rauf Aregbesola, should understand their plight.
“We are begging the state government to listen to our voices.
“Our shops and houses were demolished by the state government for road construction and we were promised that we will be compensated.
“But since 2013 till date, we are yet to get anything from the government. We are appealing to the governor to listen to our cries and give us our compensation.
” For some of us, the demolished shops and houses are our sources of livelihood. We are appealing to the government to help us out,” she said.
Reacting, Funke Egbemode, the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, appealed to the protesters to be patient with the government.
Egbemode said compensation was a process and not what can happen overnight.
” The issue of compensation is a process and those who are due for it will get their compensation at the appropriate time. Government is aware of their plight and it will be resolved soon.”
Also, the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Remi Omowaye, said the protesters should be patient, adding that government would reach out to them once the resources were available.
Omowaye said though the demolition was done by the last administration to pave way for the Osogbo-Ikirun-Ilaodo road, but since the government was a continuum, the compensation would be paid.