The Kwara State Government has taken over a land belonging to the family of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, saying the piece of land would be used to build secretariat.
This was disclosed by the Press Secretary to Kwara governor, Rafiu Ajakaiye, on Friday.
According to the state government, the land was meant for secretariat and parking space of the Civil Service Clinic, but was unlawfully allocated to a private firm, Asa Investments Limited, without any record of payment to the state government.
Part of the land situated beside the Civil Service Clinic, is also right in front of the residence of Olusola Saraki, father of Bukola.
The statement explained that the government had now made provisions for the secretariat in the 2020 budget, although its construction will spill over to 2021.
The statement reads, “Hundreds of civil servants still operate from rented apartments at a huge cost to the government.
“The new secretariat, once completed in 2021, will definitely go a long way to end this unhealthy trend as well as provide a more conducive and decent working environment for government workers.”
Ajakaiye added that governor of the state, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, had signed an instrument withdrawing the allocation of plots of land 1, 3 and 5 to the firm.
He said that the said land was unlawfully appropriated contrary to the purpose for which it was meant.
Ajakaiye added that the governor’s decision followed a resolution of the state’s House of Assembly urging him to reclaim the land because it was arbitrarily taken over in the 1990s without any evidence of payment by the company, even though the land was meant for public use.
