Ogun Land: Applicant failed to pay land cost within 60-day deadline

The Ogun State Government has dismissed claims that it arbitrarily revoked the allocation of a parcel of land in Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area, saying the provisional offer was cancelled because the applicant failed to pay the assessed cost of the land within the stipulated 60-day period.

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The Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said the 4.646-hectare parcel at Fere Village, Jibowu, along the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway, was assessed at N334,493,200, but the original applicant, Adijat Jumoke Busari, did not pay the land cost within the required period.

Akinmade, in a statement on the matter, said official records showed that Busari applied for the allocation on January 7, 2025, under reference number OW/SL/C.1302.

He explained that following the required site inspection and investigation, the Bureau responsible for land allocation issued her a Provisional Letter of Offer on March 25, 2025.

According to him, the applicant received the assessment letter on April 2, 2025, with a clear condition that the required payment for the land be made within 60 days.

“She did not meet that condition,” Akinmade said.

He explained that on June 17, 2025, Busari paid N2,304,200, but stressed that the payment covered only ancillary statutory charges, including execution, annual ground rent, government survey, preparation and registration fees.

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“It did not constitute payment towards the N334,493,200 assessed cost of the land,” he said.

Akinmade said the principal land charges, including the Premium Fee, Capital Contribution Fee and Special Infrastructural Development Charge, remained unpaid.

He said the applicant had therefore not paid for the land itself, despite the 60-day deadline contained in the provisional offer.

The offer was subsequently cancelled in accordance with its terms, and the applicant was formally notified of the decision.

Following the cancellation, Akinmade said, the parcel became available for consideration by other willing investors and was subsequently allocated to another company for industrial development after a fresh application.

He, however, said the government did not shut the door on the original applicant.

Akinmade explained that following representations made by Busari after receiving the cancellation notice, meetings were held with her and, on March 10, 2026, she was assured that the government would assist her in relocating to an alternative parcel of land on compassionate grounds.

He added that the parties were also expected to discuss modalities for dealing with any existing improvement on the original site.

“The Bureau has, however, received no formal notification of any further agreement reached between the parties concerning the relocation or existing improvements,” he said.

Akinmade maintained that the matter was not a case of arbitrary revocation of a fully paid allocation. Rather, he said, it involved a provisional offer for which the applicant had failed to pay the assessed land cost within the stipulated period.

He said the subsequent allocation to another investor occurred only after the original offer had been cancelled, stressing that it was therefore not a case of taking land from a fully compliant allottee and giving it to another investor.

Akinmade also expressed concern over what he described as the applicant’s attempt to misrepresent the facts of the matter in the media, particularly by creating the impression that a fully paid allocation had been arbitrarily revoked.

According to him, the attempt to present the matter differently appeared calculated to whip up undue public sympathy and portray the government as acting unfairly.

“We believe the facts should speak for themselves. The government has nothing to hide and will not allow a straightforward case of failure to pay for a land allocation within the stipulated period to be misrepresented as arbitrary revocation,” Akinmade said.

He said the government’s willingness to assist the original applicant in securing alternative land further demonstrated its commitment to resolving the matter fairly and compassionately.