Family Cries For Help Over Mobil Illegal Occupation Of Their Land
LAGOS FEBRUARY 3RD (NEWSRANGERS)-The family of late Dr. Sunday Ogunyade of Gbagada, Lagos, has cried to President Muhamadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the House of Senate and the governor of Lagos State to wade into the problem they have with 11plc, former Mobil Oil. Ogunyade family has alleged that Mobil Oil occupied their land for so long a time,without paying them .
Mr. Taiwo Ogunyade who spoke for the family in company with the family lawyer, Raji Banjo in Lagos, alleged that the American oil company had been frustrating the family and making life difficult for them. He wants the president, the Senate, Ambode and the AGF to come to their rescue or the family would continue to suffer untold hardship.
He said: “Our late father, Mr Sunday Ogunyade, leased a large space of land to Mobil oil company in September 1980 and the agreement was to expire in August 2000. Mobil started operating a filling station on the land. After the expiration of the lease period, my father requested for the upward review of the amount, but rather than pay my father, Mobil went to court. The court reduced the money and another term of agreement was reached and the lease extended from 2000 to 2010. But, our father died before the lease would expire.
” After the expiration of the lease in 2010, we decided to lease the land to ASCON Oil PLC, but later sold the land to ASCON oil.That was the beginning of the real trouble as Mobil oil refused to give up the land since it is still operating on it. We have sold the land to ASCON oil; why should Mobil hold on to a land that it is no longer paying for. It is our land and we decided to sell to the person we wanted to sell to. How could Mobil, an American company come to Nigeria to determine our fate in Nigeria?” he queried.
The family lawyer, Banjo, who took over the narrative, said: “Following the refusal of Mobil to hand over the station premises to ASCON, we instituted a legal action in the Lagos High Court. However, Justice Atinuke Ipaye directed that the matter should be handled by Lagos State Multi-Door House (ADR) for possible settlement. The arbitration was concluded in 2014, without any tangible achievement, because Mobil continued to frustrate the arbitration process by constantly being absent from the arbitral proceedings. If Mobil is constantly absent in court, how will the settlement be achieved?.
“We are appealing to President Buhari and others to come to our rescue and prevail on Mobil oil to either quit the land for ASCON to take over possession or honour the Arbitration Court to enable it put us through on the next line of action. ASCON has paid for the land and it cannot operate on it. We are wondering why Mobil should be frustrating us, while the government and other stakeholders fold their arms and watch us to suffer in sorrow and tears. Please, come to our rescue”.
In a swift reaction, the management of Mobil Nigeria Plc now 11plc, which spoke through a legal practitioner, Paul Obi said: “The truth of the matter is that there is a subsisting judgment of Lagos High Court recognising the right of Mobil to be at that property in the first instance until 2020. We have proceeded for contempt, the property was a long lease and it’s going to end by 2020.’
“I have told you the much I can say, so that I don’t go contrary to the principle of the court. The matter is in the court and the case is sub judice. The lease will expire in 2020.”
Short URL: https://newsrangers.com/?p=2605
Posted by News Rangers
on Feb 3 2018. Filed under National, State.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
