The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, commenced the payment of N513,462,446.50 as compensation to property owners affected by the government land acquisition in the Ajia Inukan Local Council Development Area and Ona Ara Local Government Area of the state.

Recall that the government had earlier conducted an identification and verification exercise for the property owners on the corridor of the project, after which their property was valued in preparation for payment of compensation.

The Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Williams Akin-Funmilayo, disclosed this on Monday, in a meeting with the claimants.

A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday, said Akin-Funmilayo recalled that the government recently acquired an expanse of land to construct Air Force Base, General Hospital and ICT centre, to be sited at Ajia.

“In this connection, the state government has earmarked the sum of N513,462,446.50 as compensation to the affected claimants,” the statement read.

The compensation, according to Akin-Funmilayo, was a step towards fostering a good relationship between the government and the residents.

One of the beneficiaries, Adedokun Olalekan, expressed gratitude to Governor Seyi Makinde for his empathy towards the people of the state.

PUNCH