Ayo Adebanjo, leader of pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Thursday dismissed claims that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State, built his Lekki home.
Adebanjo who speaking at a world press conference at his residence in Lekki, says that rather he built the house located at Plot 25, Ayo Adebanjo Close, Off Adebayo Doherty Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State by selling houses belonging to him in Surulere and Mushin and also took a bank loan to complete the house.
Former governor of Osun State, Bisi Akande, who is also former Interim national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in his book, “My Participations,” claimed that Adebanjo pestered Tinubu to build the Lekki house for him.
The Afenifere leader, while denying the allegation, gave account of how he raised money to erect the Lekki house, adding that one of the properties sold was a parcel of land given to him at Dideolu Estate by the sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo, even as challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the matter if what he said was not correct.
Adebanjo, who said he expected Tinubu himself to refute what he described as malicious falsehood about him emanating from Akande, described the former governor as a fool, adding that he is a neophyte, and a beneficiary of a struggle he never took part in.
This was just as the Afenifere leader challenged Akande to make public how he came about his various mansions in Ila-Orangun and elsewhere in the country.
According to him,” I therefore deny the lie propagated by Akande, I wish to state categorically that my house at Lekki was built with my resources through the sale of 3 developed properties, loan from GTBank and the sale of undeveloped landed property given me by my late leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory.
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“The details are as follows: A 4 bedroom duplex with 2 bedroom flat enclosed with 2 undeveloped plots at plot 4, block 14, Nuru Oniwo Street, Aguda Surulere, Lagos State, this is where I was living before moving to Lekki. The house was commissioned in 1972 by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
“A wing of the duplex was once occupied by a staff of the security outfit then known as “special branch” headed then by the late Alhaji M.D. Yussuf who later became Inspector General of Police when General Olusegun Obasanjo was the Head of State. It was later occupied by one of the wives of Chief Pius Akinyelure, who often visited his wife there in the company of Senator Bola Tinubu.
Speaking further, “The gate of this property was forced open by Abacha security forces when NADECO was holding a sendoff party for American ambassador Walter Carrington in my house, I took the Federal Government to court for damages and I was awarded #1million naira which has not been paid till today by the Federal Government, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba SAN, was my counsel.
“The house was sold to St Baths Anglican Church, Aguda, Surulere. Two storey building at Odedola Street, Surulere, Lagos State. I bought it through an Estate Agent by name Mr. Shiwoniku, who has relocated to UK, has a brother who is a legal practitioner in Abuja.
The house was sold to a Ghanaian by name Mr Akappo. He is still alive and he lives in one of the flats in the building.
“ Four storey building with a warehouse on the ground floor and six flats on top. It was commissioned by Chief Awolowo in 1977. I inherited the plot of 45’X100’ from my mother Salamotu Anomo-Adebanjo, who built a bungalow on it.
She bought the land when I was in primary school in 1940 from one Pa. Idowu Onitiri for £20, which she paid by installment of £10, £7, £3. His son Akanbi Onitiri, executed the conveyance for me without extra payment after showing him the purchase receipts from his father, when I was developing it in 1976. Akanbi Onitiri is the father of Sumbo Onitiri, a well known estate surveyor in Lagos.
The building was sold to a woman through an estate agent.
Adebanjo added “I then took a loan from GTBank to complete the house in Lekki where I am living now.
When the interest on the loan became unbearable, I was compelled to sell the undeveloped land given to me by Chief Awolowo in Dide-Olu Estate in Maroko Victoria Island. One Mr. Ade Otusanya a friend of my son Femi Ayo-Adebanjo, bought the land.
The contractor who built my Lekki house is Engr. Hakeem Sulaiman, Senior Partner of Messrs HA associates”.
