How Tinubu massacred Lagos Treasuries
+ His many ill-gotten properties scattered across the state
...indeed, the Jagaban has bought over the "state of Excellence" at the expense of the poor masses
and why he may be feebled out by Ambode in 2015
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Tinube |
APC National Leader Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu is biggest
politician out of South West of Nigeria today.However lately especially after
the defeat of his party on Ondo and most recently the Ekiti waterloo,the
Jagaban of Borgu has been demystified .Tinubu has been labelled in all sorts of
degrading manners,with many saying his ambition an anathema to the interest of
the South West.Everybody knows Tinubu is rich beyond the dreams of the
avarice,ans has used his wealth to build a fromidable party like APC.Lately the
weB has been buzzing with how he fraudulently made his megawealth through
massive looting of Lagos state nin and out of office as Governor .Today
Tinubu's proxy companies allegedly pocketing multi billion contract from all
the APC states.With this revelation here is no doubt that Tinubu has succeeded
in buying the Lagos State government, and he did that with government
funds.Today he is about the biggest landlord in Lagos,with property portfolio
worth sdeveral billions . For instance: Number 4, Oyinkan Abayomi (formerly
Queens) Drive, Ikoyi: A 5-bedroom detached house on one acre of land which was
originally the Lagos State Governor’s guest house since 1979, but which now
belongs to Tinubu. The certificate of occupancy of the property valued at N450
million was signed and released to him by Fashola in 2007 shortly after he
assumed office.Tinubu’s residence at 26 Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi was initially
falsely presented as Oando Plc Guest House. Later, he purportedly bought it
from Oando, and used public funds to rebuild and renovate it. The Lagos State
Government bought the property and paid an undisclosed sum to him and
thereafter gave the property back to him under the bogus Pension Bill he signed
to law shortly before he left office in 2007. The property is worth over N600
million.The annex of the Lagos State Guest House in Asokoro, Abuja was bought
by the State Government in 2006 for N450 million, purportedly to protect the
main house from security breach. Shortly after Tinubu left office, the property
was transferred to him under the pension plan he signed into law before leaving
office.The 250-hectare land valued at about N35billion and strategically
located at the Ajah junction on Lekki Road was initially meant for a General
Hospital for the people of Eti-Osa Local Government but was stolen by Tinubu
and handed over to Trojan Estate Ltd – a company owned by Deji and Wale Tinubu
– to develop as Royal Garden Housing Estate at the expense of the taxpayers of
Lagos.The 1,000 hectares of land valued at about N75billion located at Lakowe
near Abijo at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Lekki Concession
Company (LCC) which is partly- owned by Tinubu and Fashola and being developed
as golf course and housing estate by Assets and Resource Management Ltd (ARM)
as ADIVA project.The prime land of 157 hectares with 2.5km of Atlantic
beachfront valued at about N10billion and stolen by Tinubu from the communities
of Siriwon, Igbekodo, Apakin, etc in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to
Ibukun Fakeye – his crony to build a golf course and luxury villa with little
or no compensation to the villagers. In addition, Tinubu paid $20million
(N3billion) out of public treasury to Ibukun Fakeye to commence the project in
late 2006. Fashola has since released additional funding for this project,
which is not owned by the state government.The 14-hectare Parkview Ikoyi Estate
foreshore land reclaimed by Lagos State Government is now owned by Bola
Tinubu.While in office, he allocated to himself the former Strabag yard beside
the Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja. The property is now being
developed into a shopping mall as big as the Palms in Lekki. This is public
property brazenly stolen and now owned by Tinubu, aided by Fashola.The choice
property at Lekki-Epe road on which he built and owns the multi-billion Naira
Oriental Hotel and the extension of multi-storey car park beside it. Also, the
multi-level recreation centre by Mobil in Oniru Estate on Lekki-Epe road
jointly owned with ARM and Tunji Olowolafe. All these assets valued at over
N25billion were obtained without paying a kobo to the Lagos State
Government.Tinubu and Fashola sold the following prime Lagos properties to
their personal friend and front – Prince Dipo Eludoyin at very ridiculous
prices:• The 3.8-hectare of land of Lagos State Fisheries office in VI (beside
the Institute of Oceanography) valued at N3billion.• The fishery landing jetty at
Badore (where the Ilubirin fishermen were to be relocated) valued at
N500million• The entire Ogudu foreshore scheme initially earmarked for a
low-cost housing scheme valued at N5billion• The Ilubinrin housing estate
(which used to house Lagos state civil servants and judges up till 2007) valued
at N2.5billion.• The former Julius Berger yard at Oko Orisan, Epe valued at
N450million.Tinubu raised a loan of N4.7billion on Eko Akete project for which
nothing was achieved before he turned around to sell the property to his
Chagouri friends of Chagouri & Chagouri and Hitech Construction Ltd at a
ridiculously low price at the expense of the taxpayers of Lagos.Tinubu applied
to personally purchase the Federal Secretariat building while in office. When
he couldn’t get to buy it, he directed Fashola to stop the eventual owner of
the complex to develop it. The complex is presently wasting away courtesy of
the Lagos State Government.It took several months of horse trading and
underhand payments before Fashola could allow the new owners of 1004 flats to
redevelop the complex. Several other buyers of Federal Government properties
and developers of properties in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Government
Reservation Area Ikeja were forced to succumb to the outrageous demands of Tinubu,
Fashola, Commissioner Abosede and other officials of the Lagos State Physical
Planning Ministry and were made to pay ridiculous amounts to private accounts
before their redevelopments were approved. Those who refused or were unable to
pay could not develop their properties. This is a major economic strangulation
of property developers and has contributed largely to the skyrocketing rent in
Ikoyi, VI and Lekki axis.Tinubu converted all the plots of land where Lagos
Polytechnic was located at Ikosi near the old toll gate. He chased away the
Polytechnic in 2006 and went ahead to locate the choice plots to himself, his
cronies and political associates. The headquarters of Television Continental
(TVC), which is owned by him, is located there. He deprived the youths of Lagos
of decent education because of his greed.Tinubu solely sold the prime land on
Aboyade Cole, Victoria Island which was recovered from some allotees, to UACN
Properties Plc. The amount of proceeds was shrouded in secrecy.Eludoyin, fronting
for Tinubu, built the estate directly opposite Goshen Beach Estate in Lekki
area.Tinubu’s wife, Remi Tinubu, built the massive New Era Foundation youth
camp at the junction of Eleko, off the Lekki-Epe express road, with Lagos State
funds and has now converted it to personal use.Tinubu owns the Fara Park Estate
and the Beach Wood Estate both in Lekki.The Critical Care unit at the Lagos
State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja, built and equipped with
state funds, is now owned personally by Tinubu. He has put one Dr. Sikiru
Tinubu, (a supposed cousin of his) to run the outfit. It is run as a private
unit and the proceeds are pocketed by the duo. The unit charges its users
exorbitantly and most Lagosians can hardly afford to pay its high charges. Much
of the revenue is derived from fees paid by the State Government for patients
referred there by its General Hospitals.Several prominent Nigerians in the
judiciary, police, INEC, and other sensitive agencies have obtained prime land
from former Governor Tinubu and incumbent Governor Fashola over the years
without paying a kobo. Many of them had turned around to sell the land to third
parties at substantial profit. Many top officials in the police, INEC and the
judiciary who participated in the 2003 and 2007 elections and tribunals in
states where Tinubu has interest were compromised with parcels of free prime
Lagos land and cash. If the Lagos State Land’s Bureau could publish the names
and identities of beneficiaries of land allotees from 2000 to date, the scandal
that will result is better imagined. Gbenga Ashafa, now a Senator, and Mrs.
Awofisayo were the conduits through which these acts were being perpetrated.
Both were also personally involved in various dubious land transactions on
their own.Prime land and properties have been used to pay off public officials
who are personally close to Tinubu and Fashola for “jobs well done” or for
being privy to sensitive information, notably:(a) Dele Alake, former
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, was sold a whole house on Alexander
Road, Ikoyi where he lived as official quarters at a give-away price.(b) Rauf
Aregbesola, Osun State Governor, who was a former Commissioner in Lagos got
detached house at Ladoke Akintola Street, GRA Ikeja for a “good job” while
serving under Tinubu.(c) Yemi Cardoso and Wale Edun, both former commissioners,
were sold houses on Iru Close, and another location in old Ikoyi at give-away
prices by Tinubu.
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