….Call on Gov. Aiyedatiwa, Ondo Commissioners to revoke approval of the Petrol Station.
Some residents of Akure, the Ondo State Capital, have raised the alarm over the danger posed by locating a filling station at a residential area on Block B, Plot 4, State Residential Estate, along Ilesha Road, Akure.
Consequently, the residents called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa through the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, to order the revocation of the approval for the construction of the Petrol station at the Residential Estate in Akure.
In a Protest letter to the Commissioner in charge of the Ondo State Ministry for Physical Planning & Urban Development, and signed by the residents’ lawyer, Femi Emodamori, they said, “Our Law Firm has been engaged by Club 20 Residents’ Association (hereinafter referred to as “our client”) of the State Residential Estate, along Ilesha Road, Akure, through Pastor Kunle Adetunji, Kehinde Akinseli and Rotimi Akinjagunla to write your esteemed office and other necessary government agencies on the above subject matter.
Below is the full text of the letter;
22nd August, 2025
The Hon. Commissioner
Physical Planning and Urban Development
Ondo State Ministry for Physical Planning & Urban Development
Oyemekun Road, Akure.
Dear Sir,
CALL FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF APPROVAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PETROL STATION ON BLOCK B, PLOT 4, STATE RESIDENTIAL ESTATE, ALONG ILESHA ROAD, AKURE
Our Law Firm has been engaged by Club 20 Residents’ Association (hereinafter referred to as “our client”) of the State Residential Estate, along Ilesha Road, Akure, through Pastor Kunle Adetunji, Kehinde Akinseli and Rotimi Akinjagunla to write your esteemed office and other necessary government agencies on the above subject matter.
According to our client, the State Residential Estate along Ilesha Road is a relatively small parcel of land designed and approved solely as Residential Estate by the Ondo State Government. The Estate currently has a community borehole as its main source of water supply.
According to our brief, members of our client have been guarding against the abuse and distortion of the master plan for the Residential Estate, and have in the past raised an alarm over the danger posed to them by an approval granted by your Ministry for the construction of a Petrol Filling Station on Block VI, Plot 20 of the Residential Estate by a company named Telthetic Petroleum Company Limited. Sequel to the alarm, according to our brief, your Ministry wrote the Company on 14th October, 2009 to withdraw the approval granted her to construct the Petrol Station and clearly admitted in the letter that the site was designed for Residential Building.
A copy of the letter was made available to us and attached as Annexure A, for ease of reference.
To the amazement of our client, earlier this year, your Ministry granted another Company called Areytom Int’l Nigeria Limited a fresh approval to construct a Petrol Station on Block B, Plot 4 of the same Residential Estate, despite their protest over the worse and looming monumental dangers the newly approved Petrol Station site poses to the Estate.
According to our client, your Ministry granted the approval to site the new Petrol Station just about 7 meters from the Community Borehole, and directly opposite the site is Telnet International School with marked zebra crossings used daily by minors.
It is glaring that the new Petrol Station carries the potential risk of contamination of the Community Borehole from possible leaks from the petroleum underground tanks, increased vehicular movements or traffic capable of jeopardizing the safety of the minors crossing the road to their school opposite the Petrol Station and emission of gaseous fumes occasionally resulting in fire incidents at petrol stations, thereby making it unsafe for the densely populated residential area.
Nevertheless, according to our brief, your Ministry ignored our client’s strong protest against the new Petrol Station. The representatives of your Ministry reportedly informed members of our client during one of their meetings with your Ministry over their objection, that government policies are dynamic and notwithstanding the fact that the Ministry had withdrawn a similar approval to construct a Petrol Station in the site, it would proceed with the fresh approval for the same purpose.
Consequently, according to our client, Areytom Int’l Nigeria Limited has just began excavation at the site for the petroleum underground tanks. The Estate Layout categorically designates it as a residential area and siting an industrial establishment such as a Petrol Station thereon amounts to a clear violation of the Ondo State Urban and Regional Planning Law (2010), the Ondo State Building and Sub-Division Regulations, 1984 and the National Urban Development Policy.
Furthermore, by the clear provision of Section 14 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the security of the lives and properties of citizen and their welfare shall be the primary purpose of the Government.
It is therefore regrettable that your Ministry would demonstrate zero concern for the security and welfare of members of our client and the school children in the area by allowing Areytom Int’l Nigeria Limited to proceed with the construction of the illegally approved Petrol Station.
On the premise of the foregoing, our client is calling on your esteemed office to as a matter of urgency withdraw the illegal approval granted for the Petrol Station on Block B, Plot 4, State Residential Layout, Along Ilesha Road, Akure.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that in the event that your office fails to comply with the above demand and/or persists in trading off the safety of members of our client and the official standard or policy of the Government, they would have no choice but to take appropriate legal actions to seek redress, and a lawsuit would only be one of such actions.
Yours faithfully
Femi Emmanuel Emodamori
Cc:
His Excellency, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa
The Governor of Ondo State
Governor’s Office, Alagbaka G.R.A
Akure.
The Hon. Commissioner for Environment
Ondo State Ministry of Environment
Akure.
Areytom Int’l Nigeria Limited
Block B, Plot 4
State Residential Layout
Along, Ilesha Road, Akure.
Your Excellency/The Hon. Commissioner/Sir,
The above is for your necessary action, please.
Yours faithfully
Femi Emmanuel Emodamori
