These properties were built with public funds. Today, most Federal Government Properties in Nigeria are either abandoned or underused. These national statues are now in ruins and threats to security. Some of these abandoned properties have been hijacked by weeds, rodents, wild animals and reptiles, while also serves as abodes for hoodlums, miscreants, armed robbers, kidnappers and the likes, this is exactly the true picture of the Central Bank of Nigeria property at Owode Estate, Apata, Ibadan, in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The multi-billion naira property in question owned by the Central Bank of Nigeria has been abandoned for over two decades. From the information at our desk, the property was designed and aimed at providing housing scheme to the staff of CBN. It was also established that the speedily completed Quarters had never accommodated any occupant, even for once, up till date.

Visit of the Mega Icon Magazine Crew to this abandoned, neglected site shows the parlous, pathetic and deplorable situation of the property that could have accommodated an estimated figure of about 10,000 people conveniently.

subsequent to the total neglect and insensitivity of the Federal Government, the property now poses great security risks to residents of the community.

Speaking with the President, Owode Estate Housing Residents Association, Deacon Idowu Aladejobi expresses his displeasure about this ugly situation. Aladejobi further stated that the abandoned property has constituted security risks to the community, “we discovered that CBN normally come to the site to burn their refuse (currencies) almost on a daily basis, which is an environmental hazard and injurious to the community.

He stated that the property has also been turned in to a safe haven by rapists who hide in the bushy environment to lure and rape their daughters with reckless abandonment.

According to him, men of the underworld also use the abandoned property as hideout to strategize and plan on how to carry out their evil operations, “they always come out of the place to attack and rob the community, this is very dishearten”, he lamented.

Though, one would bewildered with the ease at which CBN abandons its assets to decay still baffles many, other people perceive the problem as misapplied, misconceived, wrongly executed policies and absence of complete honesty in the management.

Similarly, Aladejobi said the community has taken bold steps by writing the CBN consistently, both the Ibadan Branch and Headquarters in Abuja to curtail this malady.
“ Even former governors of the Bank, Professor Soludo and Mr. Sanusi also came to inspect the property, we thought when they came, they would be able to address the issue, but unfortunately, it is to no avail”, he insisted.

In conclusion, Aladejobi advised the CBN to investigate and appraise the matter, probably release the property to the Local Government, State Government or better still, sell to private individuals, so as to meet other community needs and serve the people.

In a related development, a former President of the Association, Pa. Lawrence Abayomi Kupoluyi make plain the rich history of the abandoned CBN property that should have make the deserted project stand out as a national monument or major source of revenue, but suffers neglect or underutilization.

Kupoluyi in his reaction said that the community had taken several steps to ensure that the place is turned to a useful legacy, “we had written letters to CBN and Housing Corporation on this issue, yet nothing has been done, it is inhuman, our hope is dashed as the residents suffer neglect, we have been dehumanized”, he lamented.

Our further investigations revealed that the abandoned property has been turned to a game reserve where wild animals, including python dwell while corpses are buried at the place since there is nobody to challenge those people who have turned the place into a grave yard.

“A former Nigerian diplomat son, Ambassador Maiyaki was brutally attacked in the Estate by hoodlums who use the site as a hideout and since then, the man had never returned to Nigeria, he is psychologically affected”, another aggrieved resident declared.

According to Mega Icon Magazine investigations, it was gathered that different investors had approached the CBN, including Universities, but they never responded.

The Care-taker Chairman, Ido Local Government, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela frowned at the pandemic situation of the abandoned CBN property, describing it as an abode for criminals who are really inflicting injuries on the citizenry of his council, Owode Estate Housing Residents in particular. Olowofela in his remark said “it is obvious that the CBN does not need the property any longer, probably the management of the apex Bank is not aware of its existence or may be CBN are wasteful”, he stated aggrievedly.

The Council Chief, Olowofela explained further that he has put all machinery on surveillance so as to ensure that the lives and properties of the residents are protected and at the same time making effort to have a formal talk with the management of the CBN.

He, however, admonished the apex Bank to release the abandoned property either to the Local Government or State Government to make judicious use of it.

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Booked

I am truly not surprised. Abandoned projects in Nigeria is far more than those completed ones. We are in a great nation with highly confused and disoriented leaders.

Any girl wen carray hersef pass dat area shaaaa na she sabi wetin she go find there naaaa

What a country is Nigeria die Gods sake.

the problem with non continuity.

That. Is how 1 government building in my area, is wasting...