Zumratul Islamiyyah seeks return of lands from Ambode, Amosun
Foremost Islamic organization, Zumratul Islamiyyah Society yesterday kick-started activities marking its 90th anniversary calling on both Lagos and Ogun State Governments to return the lands taken from the organization. The group said its lands were taken over along with schools during the time governments took over schools from religious organisations. The society, through its President, […]
Foremost Islamic organization, Zumratul Islamiyyah Society yesterday kick-started activities marking its 90th anniversary calling on both Lagos and Ogun State Governments to return the lands taken from the organization.
The group said its lands were taken over along with schools during the time governments took over schools from religious organisations.
The society, through its President, Engr Mutiu Oladipo Gbajumo speaking at a press conference to flag off a week- long activities to celebrate the anniversary at its National Headquarters in Lagos, said that it is worrisome that both Lagos and Ogun governments at different times in the past took over the schools built (primary and secondary schools) by members of the Society without any compensation.
He said, "The Zumratul Islamiyyah Primary schools are everywhere in Lagos. We have high school in Surulere, Grammar school in Igbogbo Ikorodu, Yaba, Akute in Ogun State and other areas.
"These schools were built on vast areas of land owned by the society. While the governments took over the schools, the remaining lands where the schools were built have been left unused since the time of taking over.
"What surprised us was that there are a lot of unused land upon which the schools were built on. We are not saying the governments should return the schools, but they should hand over the unused lands back to us for us to make use of them. The lands all together run to hundreds of hectares".
Deputy President, Mohammed Damole, who is also the chairman of the Planning Committee of the anniversary, noted that the society had met with officials of the Lagos State Government on several occasions at the level of the Deputy Governor, who oversees the Ministry of Education.
Damole, a former Commissioner for Home Affairs in the state said, "The present executives came on board two and half years ago. We obtained a letter from the government which exercised the land to us, but this letter is not enough for us to occupy the lands back.
"We want Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State to intervene. Previous efforts made only stopped at the Ministry of Education in Lagos. We believe that the Governor is not aware of our predicament. If these unused lands are given back to us, we can, as an organisation, make good use of them because we have lofty projects on our hands. We don’t want to make this situation a court case because we are aware of the Federal Government’s law on unused lands. We want Governor Ambode to direct the Ministry of Education to handover the lands to us now.”