Mimiko advised to give human face to urban renewal project

By Yemi Akintomide

Constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Tunji Abayomi, at the weekend took a swipe at the Ondo State government over the demolition of structures and shanties along the Oba-Adesida road in Akure, the state capital.

The government had last week embarked on the demolition of structures as part of its urban renewal programme.

The vacated place is being proposed by the government for planting beautiful flowers to beautify the Oyemekun/Oba Adesida road which is the main metropolitan road in Akure.

No compensation was paid to owners of these structures as government claimed that compensation had earlier been paid over 30 years ago when the initial dualisation of the road took place.

But Abayomi, a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in a statement issued and made available to reporters, condemned the disorderly destruction of property along Oba Adesida road and advised the Olusegun Mimiko-led government to give human face to its stressful development efforts.

According to him, “with the massive destruction of primary property along the road in what appears to be a flower invasion, Ondo State government has apparently substituted ‘I will work for you’ with ‘I will work for myself.’”

His words: “Government is about the need of the people not what appears right in the eye of government. Where government differs as to means and end, because it exercises delegated power, it owes a specific and special duty to conceive the people.


(2011-6-12/independentngonline)