by Samuel Okike
Lagos Governor Ambode broke the state’s eviction law when he kicked out the Chaplain with only 24 hours notice
Ambode has established himself as a formidable force in Nigeria, both for good and bad.
As much as he has made evident strides in transforming the state into a dominant metropolis, he has, however, made a name for himself as quite an insensitive leader. Abusing power and showing little regard for those ‘below’ him.
Earlier this week Ambode caused a stir when it was revealed that he sacked the Chaplain of the Chapel of Christ the Light, Venerable Femi Taiwo for the silliest of reasons – anointing oil.
He was accused of disrespecting the governor’s wife Bolanle Ambode by not showing her any ‘preference’ when she attended an anointing service at the Chapel on Sunday, May 14. This, according to reports, really angered the governor’s wife causing her to storm out of the Chapel, refusing to be pacified by the scores of church leaders who ran after her.
The situation did not end there, as Ambode ordered the Chaplain’s sack and evicted him from his official quarters where he lived with his wife and two children within 24 hours of receiving the letter.
WITHIN 24 HOURS!!! Where on earth is that done?
Okay, let’s even assume the Chaplain actually did something that required a sack and eviction from his residence, the governor had no legal right to issue a 24-hour ultimatum to the cleric. According to the law, every tenant in Nigeria is entitled to – at the very least – a one-week prior eviction notice, depending on the terms of his/her tenancy.
In January, The Guardian Newspaper published a piece explaining ‘how Lagos tenancy law makes it easy for landlords to evict tenants.’ In it they quoted the tenancy Laws of Lagos State, which came into force on August 24, 2011:
“Section 13 subsection (1) of the tenancy law prescribes the length of notice to be given where there is no agreement between the landlord and the tenant to determine the tenancy, which are; a week’s notice for a tenant at will, one month’s notice for a monthly tenant, three months’ notice for a half- yearly tenant and six months’ notice for a yearly tenant.
“However, subsection (2) of Section 13 further provides that in the case of a monthly tenancy, where the tenant is in arrears of rent for six months, the tenancy shall lapse, in other words, there would be no need for a landlord to issue a notice to quit on the tenant; what will be issued is a seven-day notice of owner’s intention to recover possession.”
In summary, the governor had no right under the circumstance to evict the chaplain with a 24 hours notice.
Apparently, Ambode has broken a law that governs his own state. The question on our minds now is, is the governor of Nigeria’s economic hub above the law?
