Itire- Ikate LCDA: Fumigation By Force

A man and a woman walked in to the premises of a private school at Ijeshatedo, Surulere and introduced their mission as fumigation. They were met by a man who demanded to know their identities. None was ready to disclose. They only claimed to have come from the Itire Ikate Local Council Development Authority (LCDA).

The lady looked disdainfully at the man who accosted them, with her arms folded on her chest. At that point the man retorted that that they were not supposed to come and act like bosses in other people’s premises.

They claimed to have served a week’s notice that they were coming to fumigate the school premises and were going to lock up the school if their demands were not met. The man faulted their rude, bossy, uncivilised and unfriendly approach and told them he has worked in government at a higher level. Next thing, one of the purportedly LCDA officials reached out for padlocks and chains.

He then locked the main gate with two padlocks and the pedestrian gate with both padlock and chains. This was during the school hours, with over 100 children locked in.

At the time of closing, the children found the gate locked and they literally had to be squeezing themselves through a small space left after locking and chaining the pedestrian gate as they attempted to come out. While other teachers could also manage to squeeze themselves through a particular pregnant teacher could not.

A call had to be made to the woman who described herself as a consultant fumigant to the LCDA, who had to call back the duo to unlock the chain, making way for the pregnant woman to go out. The chain was thereafter locked back in place.

The woman from the LCDA was heard shouting that the school be locked and not allowed to open. Before this time, the self-acclaimed fumigant has been engaged in series of discussions with the director of the school who had earlier demanded that those who came should positively identify themselves. The woman who identified herself as Ayinke Ajulo, said she is not a staff of the LCDA but a consultant involved in fumigating and that she works with those that came to lock up the school.

Asked to instruct them to open the gates, she insisted that not until a sum of N30,000 was paid into a particular bank account with certain details. She even said that, based on the picture taken and shown her by her LCDA proxies that came, the sum of N30,000 charged was even too small. She said that the school must pay that N30,000 and get the receipt before the school gate could be opened. For her, that money had to be paid same day pointing out that those gates wouldn’t have been locked if her proxies were not offended.

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The same people claiming to have seen some water within the premises apparently feigned ignorance of poor drainage on both sides of the road on that street where the school is located. After rains the street gets flooded to the extent that erosion water from the road rushes into the school premises, which has to be pumped out. No question was asked about that. The officials from the same LCDA that does not prioritise the drainage on a street now trying to enforce fumigation within a building and its compound.

A few hot exchanges were, however, involved as the school owners insisted on verification of the authenticity of the claims of both purported LCDA officials and the consultant fumigant. To that extent, the fumigant sent a screenshot of the letter said to have been earlier brought to the school as notice a week before.

Clearly, the Lagos state commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo needs to step in to avoid the impending break down of law and order by the seemingly overzealous unidentified staff of Itire- Ikate LCDA in Lagos state.