BCOS staff quarters demolition wrong, says ex-GM Sanda

Worried by the demolition decision, despite initial denial by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, a former General Manager of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS, Ile Akede, Ibadan), Prince Abiodun Sanda, has said that the governor should have renovated it for the continued benefits of the staff.
The reaction of the Oyo-born Prince was in solidarity with the horde of the displaced staff of the state broadcasting station following the bulldozing and leveling of the staff quarters and the vast land within the premises, acquired many years ago by the Military for the future development of the broadcasting profession.
The BBC-trained septuagenarian and the initiator of popular IGR-driven programme tagged: ‘Ipate Oja Nile Akede, E Wa’, told journalists that the government of Seyi Makinde needed not have demolished the quarters, “but should have renovated it since there is enough expanse of virgin land in the premises that extends to the Army Barracks boundary which could be converted to the proposed estate. They could have cordoned off the staff quarters and leave the buildings there. The buildings are still strong and not weak to the level that warrants demolishing them. It is like destroying some people’s legacy”, Prince Sanda said.
He also commented on the reported N10m or N15m collected from private individuals for allocation of a plot of the land in the ‘Lere Adigun Estate’, saying: “I heard the government has sold the land meant for an estate  per plot for N10m or N15m. How many BCOS broadcasters or journalists can afford such a humongous amount of money? Where will they get the money? That is the problem. I don’t think I like the idea. I lived there and many of my children have been calling, saying the government wants to demolish Ile Akede. I imagine how Chief Kunle Adeleke, the GM then, will feel now because it was during his time that those structures were built. It will appear that the present government is destroying some people’s legacy to put up theirs. Somebody may come and destroy that place in another 40 years and say I cancel that estate. In short, I am not happy about the demolition. I don’t like it at all”, the former GM said.
Though he said that the deed had already been done, to Sanda, “the expanse of land should have been converted to a Training School where budding journalists could be trained and thus reduce the rate of mediocre that now parade themselves as broadcasters and journalists. The staff quarters should have been left there for the late night drivers and staff that work late into the night to sleep as it used to be. It was easy for staffers of BCOS to stroll to the station, but now they will have to close late and go to town. If they come late, will you blame them? With the insecurity around town now, who will move around 2 a.m to go to his or her house? When he closes, where does he sleep? It is not advisable, but the deed is done and it cannot be undone, unfortunately”, Sanda lamented.
As someone who had lived in all the staff quarters of the radio station during his hey days, and even monitored the building of the Mosque behind the quarters, as well as, the Worship Centre for Christians during his administration, Sanda said he was happy that those worship places are still existing, but that he was unhappy “that the living staff quarters have to go down to accommodate an estate to be owned by private individuals”.