News
CBN House Of Horror: Multi-billion Naira Property Turns Hideout for Hoodlums, Rapists and Wild Animals in Ibadan.
*Community Cries Out for help.
These properties were built with public funds. Today, most Federal Government Properties in Nigeria are either abandoned or underused. These national statues are now in ruins and threats to security. Some of these abandoned properties have been hijacked by weeds, rodents, wild animals and reptiles, while also serves as abodes for hoodlums, miscreants, armed robbers, kidnappers and the likes, this is exactly the true picture of the Central Bank of Nigeria property at Owode Estate, Apata, Ibadan, in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The multi-billion naira property in question owned by the Central Bank of Nigeria has been abandoned for over two decades. Mega Icon Magazine investigations revealed that the property was designed and aimed at providing housing scheme to the staff of CBN. It was also established that the speedily completed Quarters had never accommodated any occupant, even for once, up till date.
Visit to this abandoned, neglected site shows the parlous, pathetic and deplorable situation of the property that could have accommodated an estimated figure of about 10,000 people conveniently.
subsequent to the total neglect and insensitivity of the Federal Government, the property now poses great security risks to residents of the community.
Speaking with one of the community leaders, Deacon Idowu Aladejobi expresses his displeasure about this ugly situation. Aladejobi further stated that the abandoned property has constituted security risks to the community, “we discovered that CBN normally come to the site to burn their refuse (currencies) almost on a daily basis, which is an environmental hazard and injurious to the community.
He stated that the property has also been turned in to a safe haven by rapists who hide in the bushy environment to lure and rape their daughters with reckless abandonment.
Abandoned CBN Quarters housing decayed buildings at Owode Estate, Ibadan.
According to him, men of the underworld also use the abandoned property as hideout to strategize and plan on how to carry out their evil operations, “they always come out of the place to attack and rob the community, this is very dishearten”, he lamented.
Though, one would bewildered with the ease at which CBN abandons its assets to decay still baffles many, other people perceive the problem as misapplied, misconceived, wrongly executed policies and absence of complete honesty in the management.
Stressing further , Aladejobi said the community has taken bold steps by writing the CBN consistently, both the Ibadan Branch and Headquarters in Abuja to curtail this malady.
“ Even former governors of the Bank, Professor Soludo and Mr. Sanusi also came to inspect the property, we thought when they came, they would be able to address the issue, but unfortunately, it is to no avail”, he decried.
He advised the CBN to investigate and appraise the matter, probably release the property to the Local Government, State Government or better still, sell to private individuals, so as to meet other community needs and serve the people.
In a related development, a former President of the Association, Pa. Lawrence Abayomi Kupoluyi make plain the rich history of the abandoned CBN property that should have make the deserted project stand out as a national monument or major source of revenue, but suffers neglect or underutilization.
Kupoluyi in his reaction said that the community had taken several steps to ensure that the place is turned to a useful legacy, “we had written letters to CBN and Housing Corporation on this issue, yet nothing has been done, it is inhuman, our hope is dashed as the residents suffer neglect, we have been dehumanized”, he lamented.
Access road leading to the abandoned property.
Mega Icon Magazine learnt that the abandoned property has been turned to a game reserve where wild animals, including python dwell while corpses are buried at the place since there is nobody to challenge those people who have turned the place into a grave yard.
“A former Nigerian diplomat son, Ambassador Maiyaki was brutally attacked in the Estate by hoodlums who use the site as a hideout and since then, the man had never returned to Nigeria, he is psychologically affected”, another aggrieved resident declared.
Mega Icon Magazine checks further unearthed that different investors had approached the CBN, including Universities, but they never responded.
The leaders, however called on the Oyo State Government and relevant authorities to come to their rescue and save the community before it is too late.
By Idowu Ayodele.
The headquarters of Heritage Bank at Victoria Island, Lagos, was besieged on Thursday by members of the labour union, protesting the recent dismissal of 1,000 support workers.
The National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, Comrade Anthony Abakpa, led the demonstration, condemning the bank’s management for what he deemed a lack of adherence to due process in the termination of employment contracts.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Abakpa asserted that the leadership of Heritage Bank failed to follow established protocols before executing the mass layoffs.
He emphasised the union’s commitment to pursuing justice for the affected workers, vowing to escalate their demands until the bank’s management rectifies the situation.
“We will intensify our demands for justice,” declared Comrade Abakpa, urging the bank’s management to take corrective action to address the grievances of the dismissed workers.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, clarified that Nigeria is not utilising its foreign reserves to bolster the naira, despite recent fluctuations in reserve levels.
Speaking from Washington DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, Cardoso highlighted the influx of $600 million into Nigeria’s reserves account within the past two days.
While the naira has experienced a notable appreciation against the dollar in recent weeks, climbing over 40% from approximately N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have been dwindling. As of April 15, reserves dropped to approximately $32.29 billion, marking the lowest level in over six years.
Cardoso emphasised that the shifts in reserves are typical for any country, where various financial obligations, such as debt repayments, necessitate withdrawals.
He stated, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where, for example, debts are due and certain payments need to be made. They are made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.”
Continuing, Cardoso underscored the dynamic nature of the market, advocating for a system driven by willing buyers, willing sellers, and price discovery.
He emphasised, “The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending the naira, and that is certainly not our objective.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
-
Politics3 days agoWhy Oyo State cannot afford another 3 years of Makinde’s mismanagement of council funds
-
Opinion3 days ago
Tinubu’s Naira Miracle: Abracadabra or Economic Wizardry? | By Adeniyi Olowofela
-
News1 week ago
FERMA House C’ttee Chair, Oseni Consoles Sen. Buhari over mum’s death
-
Politics1 week ago
APC Urges Fairness in Oyo LG Election
