The Chairman of Boripe North Local Council Development Authority, Oyebode Samson Oyewole, has frowned at the quit notice issued by Alhaji Kadiri Adepoju, the landlord of the property the council uses as its temporary secretariat.
This is as he viewed the landlord’s decision as both dishonourable and in violation of Yoruba customary standards.
On Monday, Oyewole expressed his displeasure in a statement signed by his Press Secretary, Wasiu Adebayo, and made accessible to media in Osogbo, the state capital.
In his reaction, the council boss alleged that the landlord, Alhaji Kadiri’s action was capable of bringing the good reputation of the Iree Community down.
He revealed that initially, negotiation to release the property for the use of government officials was entered into between the leadership of Iree Progressive Association and the landlord.
According to him, “Mind you, it is a common knowledge that before Iree community was privileged to have this LCDA situated at Iree township, a stiff competition was being experienced amongst the communities that make up the Council Area, in which Iree town is one of them.
“Consequently, the agitation and eagerness by the individual community to get this LCDA for its own town had influenced well to do people from each community to donate property freely for the take-off of the Local Council, if it were to be located within their community.
“That is the first basis upon which this property was released by Alhaji Kadiri to the leadership of Iree Progressive Association.
“In this light, it is crystal clear that the issue of whether the building would be offered for renting or not didn’t arise at all. It was in the absence of those who negotiated for this property in the first instance that the owner began to engage with Council Authority on renting.
“Then, the agreement reached between the Authority and the Landlord was that one million naira (N1,000,000) shall be paid annually to him, of which one million naira was paid between 2018/2019 as rent, while another seven hundred thousand naira was also paid between 2019/2020.
“Meanwhile, the Local Council Authority was not aware there was no such arrangement before securing the building for government use.”
He also disclosed that all over the state, it was common knowledge that the buildings used for the LCDAs created across the state were donated free of charge by the people so as to enable the councils to take off smoothly before they could build their own secretariat.
He went on to say that Boripe North was paying annually till the story shifted a few months after the tenures of the immediate previous political office holders in local government and local council development agencies throughout the states had expired.
He said that the leaders of the Iree Progressive Group had called a meeting with the landlord to remind him that the association had taken his property for use when they learned he was doing so.
The association and its leaders told Oyewole that he should have come to them when he decided to rent out the property, and that he would have entered into negotiations with the association, which then handed the property over to the LCDA’s management.
The statement continued that, “On this premise, it has become a known fact that the previous years’ payments made by the Council Authority on this rent are strange to the community leaders, for it doesn’t support the circumstance which warranted the release of the property for use in the beginning.
“Aside from these explicit explanations, at first, it is really a dent on the image of Iree Community to see an acclaimed son of the soil choosing to bring down the town, in the name of claiming rents from the Council Authority. If he doesn’t know, we have to tell him; intention to bring the activities of the Local Council to a halt is the same as demeaning the entire Iree community. It’s absolute madness!
“In simple terms, this landlord could have taken a queue from others who donated their apartments freely for the formation of LCDAs across the state for the benefits of their communities. He ought to have understood that these donors have made good history, and their golden footpath will forever be indelible for upcoming generations to reap its benefit.
“To crown it all, the action taken by Alhaji Kadiri, owner of the apartments being used as Boripe North LCDA Secretariat, by sending a quit notice to the Authority of the Local Council, as a result of his claim that he has been owed some months rent arrears, is disgraceful, shameful, irrational and strange to acceptable Yoruba ethical practice. And if he has any right claim, we enjoin him to channel it to the leadership of Iree Progressive Association which negotiated the occupancy of the said property with him initially.
“Besides, hiding under the allegation that the council environment is being misused was quite unfortunate. It was nothing but outright lies, as the council has always ensured the cleanliness of the temporary secretariat from time to time.”
Recall that the landlord, Adepoju had issued a quit notice through his counsel, Dr. D. A. Ariyoosu, to the LCDA over a N1,000,000.00 outstanding rent and electricity bill.
Also contained in the notice was that if the LCDA failed to pay the rent or move out, they will face legal action.
The property was given out on rent in 2016 at the creation of the LCDA by the administration of former Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.
It was learnt that the property was given cheaply to the LCDA by the owner on the agreement that it will maintain the property and pay electricity bills but disagreement arose when the owner, Alhaji Adepoju accused them of not taking care of the property.
Also, the Chairman, Oyewole had earlier denied the existence of the notice but later acknowledged it.