The Methodist Boys High School, Lagos Old Boys Association, has appealed to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to revoke the second Certificate of Occupancy The Methodist Church of Nigeria obtained illegally.
For some years now, the old boys had complained bitterly about the illicit manner in which the Methodist Church had been encroaching on their alma mater’s land.
According to the old boys, the church has wrongfully taken away 2.3 acres leaving the school with 3.3 hectares.
A statement by the President of the old boys association, Mr Bolaji Brown, explained that The Methodist Church of Nigeria went through the backdoor to obtain a parallel certificate of occupancy on the 6th of February 2012 for residential purposes.
Brown, said: “The Methodist Church of Nigeria went through the backdoor to obtain a parallel certificate of occupancy on 6th of February 2012 for residential purposes. How can this be? This is the technicality; we are looking at 2.4 acres belonging to Methodist Boys High School that have been taken away. What we have now is 3.3 hectares of land. A C of O was obtained through the backdoor during Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s tenure. This is ungodly, unjust, and unfair.
“We appeal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to revoke the second C of O obtained through the backdoor on 6th of February, 2012 by the Methodist Church Nigeria for residential purposes.”
He added that the association had invested heavily in the school.
“We have invested so much in Methodist Boys High School. All the infrastructures were put there by the distinguished old boys. Our investment, our salaries, our gratuities The 59/53 set donated a story building two months ago to the school. “What has been the contribution of the Methodist Church Nigeria to the school? What they do is to grab what does not belong to them. They were assigned by the law to manage the school. So why have the priests turned themselves into developers?”
The immediate past president of Methodist Boys High School, Old Boys’ Association, Mr Kolapo Sogbetan, said: “Over the years the assets of the school have been plundered by the Methodist Church Nigeria. Why did they obtain another C of O? It was a design to sell the two acres of land to a private company. This is a land that was meant for educational purposes. I can’t believe a church could descend so low. Methodist Church has now turned into a land-grabber. The land is for the school and the church cannot plunder into the asset of the school.”
The Gen Sec, Agboola Odunfa, added, “The C of O stated that the purpose of the land was for education. So the church can’t use it for anything else.”
