The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has warned Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde against any attempt to sell or allocate the Cheshire Home landed property in Eleyele, Ibadan, to private developers.
The organisation described the reported plan as another troubling development in the controversy surrounding the disposal of public assets under the Makinde administration.
In a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, SSACO expressed concern that the proposed disposal could follow what it described as a pattern of transferring valuable public land and properties to private commercial interests.
The organisation said recurring controversies over the ownership, allocation and commercial development of public properties had raised questions about the administration’s management of assets belonging to the people of Oyo State.
“Governor Makinde must understand that he is a temporary custodian of the people’s commonwealth, not its absolute owner. Public assets are not personal possessions to be disposed of at the pleasure of any administration,” the statement said.
SSACO argued that public properties acquired, developed or preserved by successive administrations should serve the collective interests of the people, insisting that decisions concerning their future must not be driven solely by commercial considerations.
It called for transparency, public consultation and compelling justification before any public asset could be disposed of or converted to private use.
The organisation also warned that public land in strategic locations across Ibadan and other parts of Oyo State represented an invaluable inheritance that should be preserved for future generations.
It noted that rapid population growth and increasing demand for public infrastructure made it necessary for the government to retain sufficient land for schools, hospitals, recreational facilities, social welfare institutions and other essential public services.
Questioning the rationale for disposing of such properties, SSACO asked what would remain for future generations if strategically located public land continued to be converted into private estates, shopping complexes and other commercial developments.
The organisation maintained that the government should expand public infrastructure rather than reduce the stock of public assets inherited from previous administrations.
It further argued that Makinde had a responsibility to preserve the state’s assets and avoid leaving behind a legacy of depleted public properties and unresolved questions about the management of public resources.
SSACO consequently demanded an immediate halt to any contemplated sale or allocation of the Cheshire Home land to private developers.
It also called for all transactions involving public assets in Oyo State to be subjected to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.
“Oyo State belongs to its people, and its collective inheritance must be protected,” the organisation added.
