Image of national publicity secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi

A chieftain of the Labour Party (LP) in Ogun State, Dr Abayomi Arabambi, has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration of committing what he described as “infrastructural genocide” against Egbaland, urging the governor to halt all alleged plans to demolish and relocate key public facilities in the area.

Arabambi made the call while speaking with journalists in Abeokuta, reacting to claims reportedly made by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Ogun State branch. The CDHR had alleged that the state government, through the Ministry of Housing, planned to relocate the Ogun State Commissioners’ Quarters, Legislative Quarters, and Kobape Mechanic Village under the guise of a Housing Regeneration Project.

However, a senior aide to Governor Abiodun dismissed the allegations, insisting that “there is no truth in those above allegations to the best of my knowledge.”

Arabambi, who also serves as the National Publicity Secretary of the Barr. Julius Abure-led Labour Party, said if the CDHR’s claims are true, the governor must immediately stop what he described as a “grab and privatise” approach to state lands and public property. He advised the administration to instead focus on critical road projects and infrastructural development that would directly benefit the people of Ogun State.

The LP chieftain said he coined the term “infrastructural genocide” to capture what he views as a systemic destruction of public infrastructure in Egbaland under Governor Abiodun’s watch since the beginning of his second term.

Arabambi also criticised what he termed “monetised political endorsements” in Egbaland, describing them as reckless and insensitive in the face of the region’s challenges. He warned that any individual or group involved in purchasing allegedly seized public properties would lose them, as such sales would be challenged in court.

Calling on prominent Egba leaders such as former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, and others to speak out, Arabambi quoted civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., saying, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” He urged Egba leaders to act courageously “like Lisabi warriors” and resist any attempt to turn Egbaland into a “conquered territory”.

According to him, it is misplaced for the state government to prioritise building new commissioners’ and legislative quarters at the twilight of its tenure when citizens are clamouring for improved roads, better infrastructure, and responsive governance.

Dr Arabambi, who also holds the title of Olori-Omoluabi of Egbaland, concluded by warning the Ogun State government that any act of “economic apartheid, oppression, intimidation, or infrastructural genocide” against Egbaland would be met with lawful resistance.