The Nigeria Automobile Technicians’ Association (NATA) in conjunction with Informal Workers’ Organisations of Nigeria (FIWON) have called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to as a matter of urgency investigate the illegal demolition of mechanic villages both at Coke and Alaba at Surulere.
Addressing newsmen at a press conference in Lagos, Chairman of NATA, Chief Jacob Fayeun said some people from the Ministry of Environment working in cohorts with Engineer Matanmi from the Ministry of Transportation came to the villages to demolish them.
According to him, the mechanic village which was allocated to them in 1980 by government were illegally demolished by officials of two ministries stated above working under the inducement of private developers.
“In 2012, some building materials seller registered under the name STI building Nigeria Limited started mounting pressure on us to quit the site to make way to expand their business. The same traders recently worked through a certain Engineer Matanmi, a director at the Ministry of Transport who on different occasions issued all manner of contradictory directives on us to vacate the site.
NATA therefore called on Governor Ambode to caution government officials who paraded themselves to disturb the operations of the association.
The NATA chairman explained that the acclaimed villages were under tension wire where building cannot be erected.
The association urged Governor to take the executive order to restrain the Ministry of Environment especially Mr. Kunle Adegbite and conniving officials in the ministry of transport.
Also called for the refund of N50 million of properties destroyed from STI building materials and Ministry of environment and also persecute the perpetrators of this evil act.
All effort to speak with the chairman House Committee on Environment, Hon. Saka Fafunmi proved abortive.
