#CitizenForum: The Menace of Land Grabbling In Ogun State

With the influx of people from Lagos into Ogun State, land is now emerging as a goldmine for owners of land in the Gateway State

In the past two decades, investors, both locally and from all over the world have been rushing into Ogun State to be in the proximity of Nigeria’s Commercial Capital

Taking advantage of the scramble for land in Ogun State, the professional land grabbers have widened the scope of their illegal activities in the state

There is increasing reports of encroachment of land belonging to individuals, families and communities across the state

Ogun state government land is not spared by the land grabbers, who often time are believed to be protected by some influential members in the state

The most worrisome is the emerging involvement of some of the traditional rulers and chiefs in the phenomenon

Governor Dapo Abiodun has expressed concern over the issue, and his administration set up a task force to tackle the menace posed by the land grabbers

Also, the state house of assembly has enacted a punitive law to deter land grabbing, but the law appears not to be effective, considering the rising cases of land encroachment across the state

The Assembly is undertaking a holistic review of the anti-land grabbing law it enacted recently to cope with the surge in the activities of land grabbers in the state

The phenomenon of land grabbing in the gateway state is what we are looking at in today’s edition of the Citizens Forum