Human Rights Activist, Femi Falana, and the family of Nigeria’s number one labour leader, Dr. Michael Imoudu, have rejected the offer of N23 million in compensation for the land allegedly taken over by the Lagos State government, which is estimated to be valued at not less than N250 million for a plot.

Falana, in conjunction with another Labour and Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Aborisade, and the Imoudu family, raised their voices at the 20th Posthumous Anniversary of Dr. Michael Imoudu on Saturday in Lagos, where the Federal Government, top labour functionaries, veterans, and labour activists were in attendance.

Located around Ojuelegba in the heart of Surulere, they alleged that the state government acquired the land in the public interest to build a bus terminal.

Falana said they rejected the offer “because it is not in line with Section 44 sub-section 1 of the Constitution, which provides that when a compassionate acquisition of anybody’s property, you must pay just and fair compensation. On that basis, we have gone to court.”

He urged the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented at the event by the Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Afolabi Ayantayo, to intervene in the matter.

According to him, the government and the family should use the land to build an emolument, such as a labour museum, and name it after the late Pa Imoudu, as he is fondly called.

“We have taken this occasion for the Lagos state government, since they are represented in this hall, to intervene in this matter. For the government, together with the family, to put up a befitting structure in the name of Michael Imoudu to turn it into a labour museum. It is the greatest gift we can offer after him,” he said.

Similarly, speaking on ‘20 Years after Pa Michael Imoudu – Personal Reflection,’

Dr. Veronica Omosun-Imoudu also renewed the appeal of the Imoudu family to Governor Sanwo-Olu to allocate an alternative land for their father’s land in Ojuelegba, stating that they intended to use the land to build a labour museum for Pa Imoudu, “but the state government is offering us a N23 million compensation for a land valued at almost N300 million.

“We had written an appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu, which was received and stamped in his office on Nov 15, 2024. In it, the Imoudu family had appealed to him for the allocation of an alternative land where we can build the Michael Imoudu Labour Museum,” she said. (The Guardian)

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