Tension gripped Osborne Foreshore Phase II Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, when Deputy Governor, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, and a delegation of government officials were kept waiting for more than 30 minutes after the gates of a controversial construction site remained locked during an inspection visit.

The incident involving Kenshad International Limited, a developer accused by residents of allegedly planning violations and environmental infractions, has heightened concerns over a disputed construction project and its potential implications for drainage, flooding and residents’ safety.

Hamzat, who led a high-powered delegation to the estate following complaints by residents, was unable to gain access to Abba Court, the development located on Mahogany Close, as the entrance remained shut.

However, the Managing Director of Kenshad International Limited, Ken Ukaoha, denied deliberately locking out the deputy governor, explaining that the construction site was closed because workers and other personnel had been directed to stay away following a government circular.

Ukaoha also said he was not in Lagos when the incident occurred and had not received any official notification that the deputy governor or other government officials intended to inspect the property.

“The site was locked because nobody was there. They gave a circular that we were meeting. So, everybody was away. It is a construction site, and nobody was there,” he said.

The controversy followed complaints by residents, who accused the developer of undertaking construction activities that could undermine the environmental integrity and safety of the estate.

At a meeting with Hamzat, tagged Osborne Phase II Residents and Public Leaders Dialogue, residents alleged that Kenshad International had constructed beneath high-tension electricity lines, laid concrete slabs over a canal and carried out sand-filling activities that narrowed existing water outlets.

They warned that the alleged obstruction of the canal could disrupt the natural flow of water, worsen drainage problems and expose the estate and neighbouring communities to flooding.

The residents also accused the developer of creating an unauthorised back gate through which suspected thugs were allegedly brought into the estate to intimidate those questioning its activities.

They further alleged that soldiers, police personnel and some officials of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development had been used to harass and intimidate them.

Residents called on the state government to investigate the allegations against the company and its owner, Ukaoha, particularly the circumstances surrounding a purported joint-venture arrangement with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which they claimed was being used to justify the development.

They urged the government to establish whether the project complied with relevant planning, environmental and safety regulations.

Responding, Hamzat expressed displeasure over the developer’s conduct and assured the residents that the state government would investigate their complaints.

He maintained that land use, physical planning and development control were matters within the jurisdiction of state governments.

Citing Supreme Court decisions, the deputy governor argued that the Federal Government could not assume the functions of a state town-planning authority or issue building approvals in place of the appropriate state agencies.

He assured the residents that the government would examine the issues raised and take necessary action.

Hamzat was accompanied by former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Wasiu Eshilokun Sanni, representing Lagos Central Senatorial District; Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly; and other government officials and political leaders.

Meanwhile, Ukaoha described the controversy as a dispute between his company and a neighbouring property owner, insisting that the allegations of canal obstruction and land grabbing were misleading.

On the disputed drainage channel, he claimed that he personally financed the construction of part of the drainage infrastructure in the estate, including a section around Royal Palm.

“As I am talking to you, that canal in question, I did the canal with my money. The Royal Palm, where I did half of it with my money,” he said.

He also argued that the canal in question was not connected to any other drainage channel, adding that his company had carried out drainage works in the area with the involvement of government officials.

The developer further maintained that his company secured the necessary government approvals and paid the required fees for its construction activities, insisting that it had not violated any law. (The Guardian)