Tussle: Turai Floors
Patience Jonathan In Court!
By NewsAdmin on May 2, 2013
After several futile efforts to reach an out of
court settlement failed, the land tussle
between former First Lady, Hajiya Turai
Yar’Adua and Dame Patience Jonathan
wound up on Thursday as Justice Peter
Affren of an Abuja High Court set aside the
revocation of a piece of land allocated to
Hajiya Yar’Adua’s non-governmental
organization, Women and Youth
Empowerment Foundation (WOYEF).
The land situated on plot 1347 Cadastral
Zone, Central Business District, Abuja had
been allocated to Hajiya Yar’Adua’s WAYEF
while she served as First Lady. The allocation
was however revoked by the Minister for the
FCT on account of “overriding public interest”
and the land was subsequently re-allocated
to Dame Patience Jonathan, the purpose
being the building of the African First Ladies’
Peace Mission Headquarters.
The judge pointed out that the claims by the
FCT Minister that the land which measures
1.84 hectares was revoked on an overriding
public interest could not and was not
supported by any shred of evidence before
the court. The court therefore ruled that the
initial letter of offer issued to WOYEF
remains valid. The revocation of the
allocation of the plot was faulted by the court
which stated that the exercise of the power to
revoke allocation of land must come within
the confines of the law.
According to Justice Affren, “the defendants
failed woefully to adduce any shred of
evidence before this court to support their
claims that the allocation of the land was
revoked on overriding public interest. There is
no overriding public interest in this issue. The
allocation made to the plaintiff who is a
vocational training centre was in public
interest and in line with section 28 (1) of
Land Use Act”
The former First Lady approached the court
that the land allocated to her NGO on 19
February 2010 was being trespassed upon by
the present First Lady and succeeded in
getting a court order in 2012 restraining the
First Lady from affecting WAYEF title and
interest over the land.
WAYEF’s counsel, Adamu Ahmed Ibrahim,
told newsmen that though the FCT appears to
be committed to a settlement, their terms and
what they offer says otherwise. He made it
known that the Federal Capital Territory
Administration had offered WAYEF Plot. 1838
Cadastral Zone AOO Abuja measuring
6119.29 square meters as replacement plot.
While another plot 1839 was also proposed to
be in favour of the African First Lady
Mission, measuring 6100.51 square meters.
The court did not grant WAYEF’s prayer for
damages as the organization sought N1.5
billion as general damages, N100 million as
exemplary damages, N100 million as
aggravated damages as well as N261 Million
already paid for Certificate of Occupancy and
another N454 Million paid for building
designs.
From what the Head of the legal unit of the
FCT Administration, Mrs. Ima Akpongete said
however, there are indications that the legal
fireworks are not yet over. In her opinion, the
minister exercised the power of his office
accordingly in revoking the allocation and
reallocating it to First Lady’s Peace Mission,
an indication that the FCT will file an appeal
to challenge the decision of the High Court.

dailypost.com.ng/2013/05/02/land-revocation-turai-beats-patience-jonathan-in-court/

Just the kind of shame suffice when you have rulers who "don't give a damn" about the image & morals of their nation.

Front seat reserved.Make I go buy Guguru and Pop Corn.I deh come.