The owner of Pelly Foam Industries Limited, Dapo Davies and the traders within the property situated at No 1, Lebanon Street, Dugbe, Ibadan that gutted by fire last year April, have appealed to the Governor of Oyo state, to intervene in granting them renovation approval.
The appeal was made in a letter by S.O. Sanni & CO on behalf of the affected firm, Pelly Foam and the traders within the property to the Governor of the State, Engineer Seyi Makinde dated April 8th and received on April 16th by the Governor’s office and made available to journalists on Tuesday, April 20th, 2001.
The traders explained that despite the fact that all necessary documents requested by relevant agencies for renovation permit have been submitted but to their surprise, a year after, the approval is yet to be granted.
They stressed that information available to them is that Governor Makinde was misinformed that there are pending cases in court, which is farther from the truth, urging Governor Makinde to ask for the court injunction that make relevant agencies to deny them the renovation approval.
They appealed to Governor Makinde to prevail on relevant agencies of the government to approve the renovation permit with a view to allowing them carry out necessary renovation of the building so as to save the building from total collapse with the danger posed to Dugbe community as whole.
They maintained that no court in Ibadan or elsewhere in Nigeria has granted injunction to restrain the renovation of the dilapidated walls of the building which can give away any moment from now as the wall fence stand now constitutes danger to lives of the traders and people moving in and around the building.
According to the letter titled, ‘Appeal For Permission To Renovate The Property Situate At No 1, Lebanon Street, Dugbe, Ibadan, Gutted By Fire On The 15th, April 2020’, “Your Excellency, the above mentioned property was gutted by fire on the 15th, April 2020 where substantial part of the building was adversely affected.
“Your Excellency took time out of your ever busy schedule to visit the premises and lamented the extent of damage done to the building which is located at the Central Business District of Ibadan.
“Your Excellency in your usual magnanimity gave out palliative to settle the traders affected by the fire incident which our client appreciated and still appreciating.
“Our client was directed to produce to produce a renovation permit for approval by the relevant government agencies which was promptly done and submitted to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey and the Town Planning Department, a building plan which is most unnecessary.
“Submission of the building plan was based on the advice of the Town Planning Department which is strange to all known Town Planning Laws where a building is gutted by fire.
“We however regret to note Your Excellency that the government department responsible for approval of building plans has refused to approve the renovation permit for almost one year after the fire incident.
“We heard from the grapevine that Your Excellency was informed that there are pending cases in court which is farther from the truth. The truth is that one King Zion took our client to court in 2003, years before the fire incident and various cases in court has nothing to do with the fire incident. We urge Your Excellency to kindly demand a copy of the said injunction granted by the court”.
