Bizman raises alarm over attempt to grab his property

The owner of Big H Garden and Recreation Park, Utako, Mr. Sunday Ojabuno, has alleged that the Department of Parks and Recreation of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) is attempting to grab his property and allocate same to another developer. Mr. Ojabuno who made the allegation at a press briefing recently, said Arch. Ali […]

The owner of Big H Garden and Recreation Park, Utako, Mr. Sunday Ojabuno, has alleged that the Department of Parks and Recreation of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) is attempting to grab his property and allocate same to another developer.

Mr. Ojabuno who made the allegation at a press briefing recently, said Arch. Ali Ukele, the Director of Parks and Recreation, had approached him in 2018, with a proposal to release the garden to the Senator representing the FCT, Philip Tanimu Aduda.

He alleged that, “In exchange for releasing the garden, the director said the department would allocate a new garden to us, and in addition, that Sen. Aduda would pay the expenses we have incurred so     far in putting up the necessary infrastructure in the garden.”

Ojabuno further said an estate valuer he engaged valued his garden at N28m and that he forwarded the cost to Ukele for onward delivery to Aduda.

He further said, “Arch. Ukele called us for a meeting a few days later and informed us that Aduda was offering only N7m and that we should accept it. He tried to persuade us by telling us that there was a double allocation on the park. That Aduda has a ministerial approval on the park and we requested to see the ministerial approval, but he refused to show us.”

He said he was threatened with demolition after he refused to collect the N7m he was offered.

Daily Trust learnt that Mr. Ojabuno was served a notice on March 2, 2020, even before he was shown the land he was to relocate to in Life Camp.

He said after the director earlier reneged on his promise to show him the new place he was to relocate to, he eventually did after the media got wind of the story and started asking questions.

He, however, said the land was not suitable for his business and that it would cost him more than N28m to develop it.

When contacted, Arch. Ukele said the owner of Jummai Estate applied in 2004 to use the land where Big H Garden and Recreation Park now operates  as commercial, but that she was told that the place could only be used as a green area and that when she agreed to use it as a green area, she was given approval.

Arch. Ukele said Big H did not have ministerial approval on the land, but that since he did not want crisis, he offered to give him another allocation.

He vehemently denied the allegation that he was using his position to grab the park and give to Sen. Aduda.

It took our reporter weeks to get Sen. Aduda to respond to the allegation that he was using his position to grab someone’s property.

Sen. Aduda said the land belonged to his late mother and that he would want to protect her legacy.

He said it was his mother that had the authentic land papers and that he only wanted to help Mr. Ojabuno by making him the offer.