Date: 2012-03-19

People of Atikeke community, Ilorin, Kwara State, have protested construction of a car park structure on Ofa Garage road, Ilorin.

The placard-carrying community members, who staged a peaceful protest to the Kwara State House of Assembly complex, said the management of a popular hotel who constructed the car park had refused to remove a centre wall, which they said was obstructing free flow of water along Atikeke community.

Speaking during the protest, the leader of the Atikeke community, who led other placard-carrying protesters to the House, Sir Abidoye James Olawepo, said they were in the House to beg the lawmakers to come to their aid so that they could stop the hotel from further construction of the structure.

Sir Olawepo also said that property worth several millions of naira had been lost due to the alleged illegal structure.

Meanwhile, the House of Assembly has directed that construction work of the car park at the popular hotel should be stopped henceforth pending the outcome of the investigation on the project.

The Speaker of Kwara House, Rt. Hon. Razaq Atunwa, gave the directive when a member representing Share/Oke-Ode and who is also the Chairman House committee on Energy, Works and Transport, Hon. Abdulganiyu Abdulkareem, raised a matter of urgent public importance to explain how the management of the hotel contravened the resolution of the House by refusing to remove a centre wall that was disturbing free flow of water along Atikeke community.

Also, the Speaker directed that the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, the Director of Civil Engineering, Ministry of Works, supervising engineers and officials of Town Planning and Development Authority, should appear before the House to explain their roles over the construction of the structure despite the House resolution to stop the project sometimes ago.