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Save Lagos Group exposes moves by members to corner family estate, seeks LASG intervention
A civil rights organisation, Save Lagos Group (SLG) has in a petition dragged four members of a prominent Lagos family before the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Olufunmilayo Opeyemi Oke over an alleged attempt to corner the estate of their patriarch, Reverend A.C.I Odutuga for themselves.
In a statement released on Monday in Lagos, Convener of the Save Lagos Group, Comrade Adeniyi A. Sulaiman in the petition dated Monday 19th February, 2018 specifically accused some members of the family of attempts to shut out other descendants of the late clergyman from benefitting from proceeds of his estate.
Sulaiman has therefore asked Justice Oke and the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the State, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem to intervene in the matter in the interest of justice and fair play for those who are being primed to be shut out as beneficiaries of the vast estate.
According to Sulaiman, some members of the family namely, Mayowa Odutuga, Temitayo Odutuga, Temiyemi Odutuga and Deaconess Esther Omolara Odutuga have perfected plans to corner the proceeds from the estate while excluding others.
Sulaiman stated that the late clergyman who died on Tuesday, 18th of July, 2000 while alive had four wives and 22 children as beneficiaries of his estate but that only four people have been administering the estate without rendering proper account to other members.
He added that though there is a pending purported litigation before Justice J. Oyebanji of Court (20), Ikeja Division of the Lagos High Court in suit number, (ID/56/2012) filed by Mayowa Odutuga and Deaconess Esther Omolara Odutuga and her daughter, Mrs. Ibiyemi Ajobiewe to legalise their illegal activities.
Sulaiman added that, “We members of the Save Lagos Group are calling on the two judicial members to intervene with a view to help other members of the family to enjoy the benefits of their father’s estate.
“We are indeed very sad that the case which began on 27th of January, 2012 was initially meant to resolve the issue of eligibility of beneficiaries but it has dragged on for so long thus giving those who are managing the estate some unfair advantage over the others who don’t even know how the estate is being administered.”
The group added the estate comprises of three buildings located at number 3 Oluwasiji Street, 4 and 13 Cecilia Odutuga Street both at Onikanga Area, Barliet Bus Stop, Off Oshodi-Orile-Mile 2 Expressway in Ilasamaja, Lagos.
“From our findings, we discovered that the estate also comprises of a school named Labake Memorial Nursery and Primary School and a church whose hall is being utilized for commercial purposes by the four family members who usually don’t render account to others. We have been told that the family has a large expanse of plantation located at Ogbere-Idi Egun, Ajegunle Area, (J4) Ogun State. This land is said to be about 30 acres of land.” Sulaiman said in the statement.
The group stated that two of the affected family members, Deaconess Esther O. Odutuga who is said to be the third wife of the deceased and her son Mayowa Odutuga have been harassing other members of the family with series of correspondences from their lawyers in their efforts to corner the estate.
“We have since discovered that those at the receiving end of the callous antics of these people have been subjected to all manners of harassment by the four errant members who are said to be well connected but using the security agencies to silence them when they demand for records of how the estate is being managed.
“These people have struck fear into the hearts of their kith and kin by usually resorting to using arm and ammunition to threaten them, a situation that prompted the head of the family, Pastor Abayomi O. Ademola to invite the law enforcement agents into the crisis through a petition dated 31st October, 2011 addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police with copies sent to the Inspector-General of Police and Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone Two, Onkan.” He said.
The group added that another petition was written by a prominent elder of the family, Mrs. Temitope Oladunjoye dated 27th February 2015 to the Director of State Security Service in charge of Ogun State when the accused tried to take possession of the plantation.
“We are glad that the operatives of both the Nigeria Police Force the DSS indeed investigated the contents of the two petitions. We are happy that the then Head of the Human Rights Section of the Lagos State Police Command, Superintendent of Police Eno investigated the case with a resolve that the beneficiaries accord others their entitlements in the estate, yet they refused.
“The DSS assigned the task of reconciling the family to one operative named, Adeogun Tajudeen Olumomi (08036×××563) who told them that the Director-General was interested in the case on May 28th, 2015 but still they refused to change their ways.” He said.
On the group’s concern, Sulaiman said, “The attitude of the four errant members has affected the younger members of the family who have been living in abject poverty as many of them have found it difficult to attend schools or learn vocations. One of them, Temidara Oluwajoba Odutuga (080380×××36 or 0706229×××3) has been struggling to attend class at Lagos Centre of the University of Ado-Ekiti in Otto-Ijanikin.”
He urged the Chief Judge and the Attorney-General to quickly intervene on behalf of the affected members of the family whose livelihood is dependent on the proceeds from the estate, saying “These people are helpless and that only the state government could give them reprieve from their siblings. They are so poor that they can’t even afford the services of legal practitioners to plead their case in the law court.”
Sulaiman added that the matter is due for mention before Justice J. Oyebanji of Court (20), Ikeja Division of the Lagos High Court on Tuesday and Wednesday 17th and 18th April 2018 and that there is need for the state officials to save the affected people.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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