NBA scribe debunks rumour over Ekiti's Lagos property
From Ifedayo Sayo, Ado-Ekiti
THE Secretary General of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Ade Adesina, has debunked the rumour over the acquisition of Lagos property by Ekiti State government.
The property located at Ojuolobun Street, Victoria Island, was acquired in year 2001 by the Adeniyi Adebayo administration at N385 million from A-Group of Companies Nigeria Ltd.
Soon after the acquisition, there were speculations that the property, now estimated at over N1 billion belonged to the father of the former governor, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd).
The insinuation was dispelled by the former governor who claimed that it would amount to an insult to his family to sell its property to the state government.
Last week, the administration of Governor Ayo Fayose wrote a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFEC), claiming that the firm, which sold the property, was not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
It asked the commission to verify the actual owners of the property and the role played by officials of the former administration in its acquisition.
But Adesina, who appeared before a judicial probe panel investigating the spending of the last administration, said the firm, A-Group of Companies Nigeria Limited is a registered indigenous firm dealing in the purchase and sale of property in the country.
He disclosed that his legal firm handled the perfection of the legal documents on the property at N41,650,000, saying that in Lagos State, 41 per cent of the total cost of the property always goes into processing of relevant documents.
Adesina, who claimed that he flew into the country from London to clear the air on the controversy surrounding the property, said the initial Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of the property got lost before another one was processed from Lagos State.
He maintained that being an indigene of the state, he came to the assistance of the state government to obtain another certificate of occupancy, which bears the name of the state government.
He told the panel that the original owner of the property is International Merchant Bank (IMB) before it was sold to A-Group of Companies.
On the allegation that the A-Group of Companies was not registered, Adesina said: "It is not true. The firm is a registered company dealing in property matters".
He gave the names of the directors as Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, Mr. Solomon Aliyu and Mr. Giwa Aliyu, saying all transactions in respect of the property were transparent and ought not to have attracted any negative feelings from any quarter.
