No fewer than 36 filling stations in Ogun State have been sealed following the discovery that they contravened the State’s town planning laws.The affected filling stations located in Ota and Abeokuta were found to have altered their approved building plans without seeking necessary permissions from relevant government agencies.Speaking on the development, the Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Physical Planning, Mr. Oladele Osifade recalled that the Ministry of Physical Planning in the State had last month embarked on a building plan verification and approval auditing of filling stations in the two towns, during which the anomalies were discovered.
He said following the discovery, the Ministry served owners of the filling stations contravention notices, adding that this was followed up with a reminder notice and a seven day notice of sealing.Osifade lamented that rather than taking steps to regularize their documents, some of them even went ahead to erect additional pumps in flagrant disobedience of town planning laws of the State.Emphasizing that government derives no pleasure from demolishing or sealing off structures, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor however added that no responsible government would allow some people disregard its laws and disrupt its town planning laws under what ever guise.
“As much as the present administration in Ogun State desires to promote commerce and attract more genuine investors and business men to contribute to the economic growth of the State, it will not fold its arms and watch some of them violate laid down rules and regulations particularly, those relating to physical development” Osifade remarked. He advised owners of such sealed stations to do the needful by contacting the nearest zonal planning office to regularise their documents, warning that anyone of them who operate the sealed stations would be sanctioned heavily
Via: Ogun State Government - Official Press Release