General
How Skye Bank Rendered 3000 Lagos Residents Homeless
By The Witness Newspaper
Skye Bank Plc and its subsidiary, Skye Trustees Limited, are currently enmeshed in fresh controversy following the demolition of more than 200 houses at the instance of the two organisations in Lagos, THE WITNESS reports.
While the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is striving so hard to achieve its target of delivering affordable housing to the people, the Tokunbo Abiru-led financial institution and its subsidiary on Thursday, July 26th 2018 visited hardship on the Glorious Villa Community in Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State which housed over 3000 inhabitants when they demolished the properties.
THE WITNESS reliably learnt that trouble started when Skye Bank was discreetly sold a large expanse of land allegedly belonging to about 55 families by four of the families in Abule Parapo Phase 2, Awoyaya area of Ibeju Lekki.
It was further gathered that after winning the land dispute case from initial land grabbers, another set of family unit had three years earlier sold some plots located behind the famous Greenspring International School for the sum of N1.5 million each to the occupants who are now homeless after the destruction which gave them no chance to salvage their belongings.
Unknown to these family units, the four family units had also obtained a court judgment behind the scene and went ahead to sell the entire 200.184 hectares of land plus the court judgment to Skye Bank and Skye Trustees Limited which rushed to the Lagos State government through high-powered officers for the authentication of the lands in their company name.
Skye Bank, THE WITNESS learnt, reached out to the lawyers of the property owners to come over for ratification and demanded that they should pay sums of money ranging between N4 million and N8 million for the ratification of each of the plots in contention.
The property owners had suggested further negotiation and had reached a compromise with the bank, but Skye Bank allegedly went ahead with the demolition of the properties with the backing of about 300 armed operatives from various security outfits that harassed the residents and seized their belongings including phones and cameras.
The Skye Bank-ordered demolition has thrown the residents of the area into a state of distress and agony as majority of them now take refuge in uncompleted buildings outside of the community. Others have resorted to talking solace under the bridges around the area while some have moved in with their relations as squatters pending when luck will smile at them to acquire new accommodations.
Affected residents, most of who are customers of the Skye Bank have been counting their post-demolition losses, lamenting the suffering they are forced to go through.
“This pain is too much to bear, and to think that it comes from a bank I hitherto held so dear is worrying to me,” lamented a woman who did not provide her name.
Mr Wise Iyanla while narrating his ordeal to THE WITNESS correspondent said: “I, my friends, my comrades and my families, we are closing all our accounts in Skye Bank. This is a trying moment but we will win this battle!
“As a young man in the corporate world, I strove harder to do some expensive things. One of the things I did was to strive to build a bungalow here in Ibeju Lekki axis (Awoyaya) and my land was properly acquired from the legitimate owners who originally acquired the landed properties from their forefathers as inheritance.
“All of a sudden, just last month here, I was at work when I received a WhatsApp message from a co-landlord, informing me that our properties built with our hard-earned sweat were being demolished by Skye Bank and their agent, Lekki Gardens Estate Limited with a battalion of security personnel to protect their heinous action.
“What can I say as a young father and hustler? I said to my co-landlord, man can never be hurt. What took us years to stand, as struggling young Nigerians, were demolished in minutes.
“The most painful aspect of the story is the fact that our buildings were demolished in error because there was no court judgment that warranted the destruction of our properties and I doubt that the IG was aware of the illegal police officers outing during the criminal and malicious destruction of our properties and now that it is established, 10 billion for the accounts is feasible.”
Another affected resident, a 64-year-old widow and retired civil servant, Mrs Oyekunle Azeez, said ever since the incident, she has been living in a church and her blood pressure had risen. “In tears, the elderly woman said: I laboured so hard before I retired to build this house, how have I offended the bank and their directors? This was all I had. Why do they want to send me to an early grave?” Mrs Azeez lamented.
The lawyers representing Glorious Villa Community Development Association, Reagan Nzeteh & Co. has written Lekki Gardens demanding the sum of N10 billion from Skye Bank Plc and Skye Trustees Ltd for what it called trespass to land, willful/criminal/malicious damage of its client’s properties and illegal demolition of the properties in Abule Parapo Phase 2 by the two organisations. They have also threatened to sue the trio if the money is not paid within a stipulated period of time.
In the same vein, the inspector general of police has been petitioned regarding the illegal use of over 300 police officers in the operation.
Efforts by our reporter to reach the management of Skye Bank and Skye Trustees for their angle to the development proved futile as enquiries sent to the bank were not responded to as at press time.
Culled from The Witness Newspaper
By Dipo Olowookere
The younger sister of the former Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, has been rescued by officials of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The woman was freed from her kidnappers along with her twin sons, Peter and Paul, on Saturday evening.
They were abducted on Wednesday morning while the former employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was taking her children to school in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The unfortunate incident reportedly occurred at about 7:30 am on June 3, 2026, throwing residents of the area into panic. The 43-year-old mother was taken from her vehicle by the gunmen and driven away with her 12-year-old twin sons.
This evening, in an operation by security operatives, the victims were rescued, while two of the suspected kidnappers were fatally shot in a gun duel, and two firearms were recovered from the gang.
The police are now combing the area where the rescue operation took place to apprehend some of the fleeing kidnappers, who are believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.
The news of the rescue of the kidnapped victims has thrown the family of the former Minister into a frenzy.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government and the Honeywell Group are strengthening a partnership aimed at achieving sustainable development in Nigeria.
The company on Thursday held a meeting with the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja. Both parties explored ways to promote economic development, reaffirming the importance of public-private sector cooperation in advancing Nigeria’s development agenda and improving service delivery for citizens.
The Senior Adviser to the Honeywell Group, Mrs Oduwaye Nsidi-Sakiri, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting national development through constructive engagement and collaboration.
“We commend the remarkable progress that has been made. These achievements are a reflection not only of leadership but also of the dedication and hard work of the entire team within the Ministry,” she said.
She explained that the visit reflected Honeywell Group’s longstanding tradition of maintaining proactive and constructive relationships with government institutions, regulatory agencies, and other key public-sector stakeholders. She further expressed the group’s willingness to explore opportunities for collaboration in support of government initiatives and national development objectives.
Also speaking, Honeywell Group Chief Operating Officer, Mrs Tomi Ayo-Tugbo, commended the Ministry for reforms that are delivering tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians, reiterating the firm’s commitment to supporting the country’s growth and prosperity.
On his part, Mr Tunji-Ojo praised the company for its longstanding contributions to Nigeria’s economy and acknowledged the critical role of the private sector in driving economic growth, creating jobs, and supporting national development.
He further assured the delegation of the Ministry’s readiness to engage with stakeholders and collaborate with responsible corporate organisations in advancing initiatives that promote economic development, innovation, and improved service delivery.
The Minister emphasised that the reforms being implemented across the Ministry and its agencies are designed not only to improve operational efficiency but also to strengthen national security and enhance public confidence in government institutions.
“Our goal is to build institutions that work efficiently for the people. We are committed to creating systems that are transparent, technology-driven, and capable of delivering services in a manner that reflects the aspirations of a modern Nigeria,” he stated.
“The government cannot achieve sustainable development alone. Strong partnerships between the public and private sectors are essential to building a prosperous nation. We value organisations such as Honeywell Group that have consistently invested in Nigeria and contributed to the country’s growth over several decades,” Mr Tunji-Ojo added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has directed that no new public contracts should be awarded without first getting the funds, as part of efforts to improve project delivery across the country.
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr Adebowale Adedokun, disclosed this on the sidelines of the Inaugural Hosting of The Procurement Evolution in Abuja on Thursday.
Mr Adedokun said President Bola Tinubu had approved measures to raise resources needed to settle outstanding obligations to contractors, describing timely payment as critical to an efficient procurement system.
“Mr President has given a directive on when funds should be raised to address the concerns of contractors who are yet to be paid. With this, procurement processes will be much better because payment is now tied to procurement.
“Meaning that no award will be further issued without resources or funding available. So these are the things that the President has asked us to do.”
The BPP boss said the government was also implementing 23 procurement reforms aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and value for money in public spending.
According to him, committees to drive the reforms will soon be inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
He said the reforms were designed to ensure that Nigerians benefit directly through improved infrastructure, healthcare, education and better living conditions.
“The president wants Nigerians to feel the effects of this transformation by having good roads, good hospitals, good educational institutions, and a good living wage for all workers.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr George Akume, said public procurement remained central to the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Mr Akume noted that ongoing reforms, including proposed amendments to the Public Procurement Act 2007, the Nigeria First Policy, Nigeria e-Marketplace initiative, community-based procurement and affirmative procurement programmes, were intended to strengthen local industries and promote economic inclusion.
The SGF, represented by Mr Abubakar Kana, Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Office of the SGF, added that the reforms would enhance transparency, simplify procurement processes and leverage technology to improve service delivery and national development.
“As we move forward, our collective responsibility is very clear.
“We must ensure that procurement processes are simplified. without compromising accountability, that technology is fully leveraged to eliminate inefficiencies and that all stakeholders work collaboratively to achieve shared national goals.
“The federal government remains fully committed to supporting the Bureau of Public Procurement in driving these reforms and ensuring that public procurement becomes a catalyst for economic growth, infrastructure development and improved quality of life for all our citizens.”
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