Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja
The immediate past Commissioner for Housing in Ogun State, Mr. Segun Abiodun, has described the allegation of architectural and structural defects in the new Ogun State Judiciary Complex by Governor Dapo Abiodun, as an unnecessary attempt to continue to demonise the immediate past Governor, Mr. Ibikunle Amosun.
Abiodun who made the clarification in a press statement issued yesterday, alleged that the new governor of the state Abiodun is on a deliberate mission to malign Amosun.
The former commissioner said he was constrained to react to what he called falsehood because of the emerging pattern of a calculated attempt to rubbish all the good works of Senator Amosun.
According to him, “After almost two months in office, Prince Dapo Abiodun, rather than embark on programmes and projects that will benefit the good people of Ogun State, has made the demonisation of the programmes and projects of the Amosun’s administration his cardinal programme.
“His latest attack was on the Ogun State judiciary complex which was commissioned on May 25, 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
He said the judiciary complex was conceived as a world- class facility to provide the state judiciary with a befitting environment for the dispensation of justice.
Abiodun noted that the major features of the complex are “13 court rooms each with a capacity for 200 people and with a complement of judge’s offices, support staff offices, library and conference facilities, ceremonial court with a capacity for 500 people, Chief Judge’s Court with full complement of offices and conference facilities, offices for probate central registry and all other judiciary functions and central library”.
Other facilities in the complex according to him are restaurant, crèche, clinic, full provisioning for internet connectivity, connection to IPP and already installed standby generators with combined capacity of 800kva.
“The beauty and utility of the complex was acknowledged by no less a personality than President Muhammadu Buhari who at the commissioning commended the Amosun’s administration for conceiving such a laudable project.
“He (Buhari) wondered aloud how the administration was able to fund such a project. The complex has also been widely acknowledged as one of the best judiciary complexes in the country by various stakeholders.
“The allegation of architectural and structural defects was to create the impression that both the design and construction have been incompetently executed. This is totally baseless and unfounded.
“The Judiciary complex was constructed by one of the most sought after construction companies in the West African sub-region, De Simone Group (Monterossa). Among the recent projects executed by the company are the embassies of the United States of America in Accra, Ghana, Ouagadougou, Burkinna Faso, Monrovia, Liberia and the Dutch Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria.
“Its projects also include Nestle Flower Gate Factory, Sagamu; Nestle Distribution Centre, Sagamu; and Unilever Distribution Centre, Agbara, all in Ogun State, just to mention a few. The other contractor Messrs. AFP, (a subsidiary and member of the Julius Berger Group) who handled the paneling and furnishing of the courts, need little or no introduction.
“For the record, the architectural design of the judiciary complex was done and supervised by me as the Hon Commissioner for Housing. Incidentally, I designed and supervised the current residence of Prince Dapo Abiodun in Iperu, Ogun State. The construction and the furnishing company were carefully and characteristically selected to deliver the high standards for which the Amosun’s administration was known, ‘The Ogun Standard,” the former commissioner added.
