Shop owners storm Osun Govt House in protest over unpaid compensation

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BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO

Owners of shops and houses at MDS, Olaiya and Fakunle axis of Osogbo metropolis, on Monday protested at the Government House, Osogbo, over the non-payment of their compensation by the state government.

The protesters carrying several placards with varying inscriptions including, “Gov. Oyetola, We Waited Enough, Please Do The Needful, Pay Us Our Compensation,” “Pay Our Compensation, Many of Us Are Dead,” to press home their demands.

Addressing newsmen, the protesters said their buildings were demolished in 2013 by the state government, arguing that since Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was the Chief of Staff to former governor, Rauf Aregbesola, at that time, he was complicit in the demolition, and should understand their plight.

They accused him of taking them for granted despite their support for him and urged him to pay their compensation running into a billion naira.

One of the protesters, mostly aged persons, said, “We are here (Osun State Government House) to make our pains and discomfort known to Mr Governor concerning the non-payment of our compensation.

“We have been waiting since 2013 since our shops and houses including a filing station was demolished and of greater pain is that Governor Gboyega Oyetola was the Chief of Staff to the government that demolished our buildings. We expected him to have understood our predicament and come to our rescue. But, he has discarded all our pleas.

“We have written to his office severally to remind him, we have begged him one on one to release our compensation but to no avail. We are tired and can’t bear this pain any more. Some of us have died and the aged among us need money to take care of themselves. We need our compensation,” she demanded.