Ekiti State Government has assured that no resident of the state would be treated unjustly for any reason whatsoever as it waded into the crisis within Ireakari and unity estates in Ado Ekiti over access roads to the areas.
The head of government delegation and Chairman Local Government Service Commission, Elder Samuel Abejide, gave the assurance in Ado Ekiti during a peace meeting with representatives of the communities on Thursday.
This is even as representatives of the communities absolved the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon Biodun Omoleye of any complicity in the crisis and tendered apologies to him for being wrongly accused.
Other members of the government delegation at the meeting which took place at the Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office include, the Chairman House Committee on Land and Housing, Hon Ayodeji Ajayi, Head of service, Mrs Peju Babafemi, Hon Omoleye and
Special Adviser on Land and Housing, Mrs Funke Falodun. The meeting was also attended by representatives of some security agencies.
Some aggrieved landlords had last week staged a protest over attempt to block the access road in the GRA 3rd Extension.
Elder Abejide at the reconciliation meeting said government was committed to ensuring that the relative peace being enjoyed in Ekiti is sustained in all the books and crannies of the State.
He said: “We observed that there is peace in Ekiti and we don’t want anything to stop the peace,and that is why government sent us to intervene and investigate the root cause of the crisis.
“I want to encourage you to display the spirit of brotherhood and give room for settlement. We shall give room for all parties to express their grievances and thereafter look at the matter critically and profer a lasting solution to it.”
Representatives of each community took turn to state their cases.
Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, a member of the government delegation and Deputy Speaker of Ekiti State, Rt. Hon. Hakeem Jamiu, said all the parties involved had agreed to allow peace to reign and give room for government intervention.
The Deputy Speaker disclosed that the delegation and some government officials would pay on-the- spot assessment visit to the estate as parts of effort to resolve the crisis.
He also disclosed that the communities apologized and exonerated the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon Biodun Omoleye for falsely accusing him of being the mastermind of the events leading to the crisis.
He said: “I am happy to inform you that the issue is being resolved and all the parties that have been on each others’ throat have agreed to allow peace to reign. It has also been discovered that the name of the Chief of Staff, Hon Omoleye had been mentioned for no reason because he had no hand in the crisis.
“The leaders of the communities have apologized to him. They said they were misled, but have now realised that the Chief of Staff was not in anyway involved in the matter.
“On the part of the government, a delegation will visit the estate and find out ways of providing solution to the crisis. Because the main cause is about the blockage of the access road and the Surveyor General was here, he explained to them and showed them the approved layout.
“Since government is the legal owner of all land, it is also the government that will provide lasting solution and all the parties agreed.
Hon Jamiu assured that government’s intervention will ensure a win- win situation for all the parties.
“By next week government delegation especially those from the office of Surveyor General and Ministry of Lands will go there and see how we can work out things amicably for peace to reign”, he added.