Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has been admonished to urgently repeal the Land Use Act and other laws that have been enacted by the State’s House of Assembly which are perceived to be ‘draconian’ and against the interest of the people.
A civil society organisation, the Save Lagos Group which made these submissions in a statement on Saturday stated that the only way peace would rein in the state was for the State Government to repeal these laws
The Convener of the Save Lagos Group, Comrade Adeniyi A. Sulaiman in the statement stated further quoted Sulaiman as calling for a reversion to status quo by a total repeal of the laws, which he described as inimical to the wellbeing and progress of the teeming people of the state whom he stated are already at the wrong end of the social economic rung occasioned by abject poverty, misery and want.
“We are calling on the state House of Assembly not commence all the right processes that would lead to the repeal of some of the laws of the state government relating to Land Use, Environment as well as procedures for securing bail to suspects on trial. We have appraised the contents and the intendment of the laws and we have come to the irrevocable conclusion that they will not serve the interest of the people but rather serve and advance the interest of some godfathers in the state,” he said.
He added that the state government should desist from illegal and wicked public advocacy regarding the said laws forthwith, adding that failure to listen to the cries of Lagosians would be met with stiff resistance as earlier stated in past press statements that the group has issued to the media.
“We are using this medium to once again reiterate our opposition to the laws and we wish to state that with the impending end to the celebration of the Easter festive season and the observance of Rahjaab fasting by both Christian and Muslim faithful, we are more than ready to begin our two month occupation of the Lagos State Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja. The 2012 Occupy Nigeria at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota would be a child’s play when we start,”
“This should be an alert to all those concerned that this is no empty threat, we are already in talks with relevant stakeholders such as the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and other professional groupings, political parties such as the National Conscience Party (NCP), Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) a faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.
“We are also in talks with the labour trade centres such as the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), United Labour Congress (ULC) and faith based organizations such as Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), NASFAT, QUAREEB, TIJANIYYA, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) and The Muslim Congress (TMC) and the Joint Muslims Action Front (JOMAF),” he said.
Packaged by Mayowa Owogbade
