When very senior officials of the government took it upon themselves to convene a meeting with a Trustee of the Chief J.K. Randle Memorial Hall [instead of meeting with all the three Trustees] six months after the iconic edifice at Onikan, Lagos was demolished by the government on 24th September 2016 without any prior notice / warning or demolition order, the ringing of alarm bells was inevitable. Indeed, considering the maze of aggressive and punitive measures inflicted by the government on the J.K. Randle family over several decades, rather than, merely ring the alarm bells, we are now compelled to recognise that the red line has been crossed by our tormentors. Nothing is sacred.
What we are entitled to expect from government is a fulsome apology and offer of prompt remedy combined with an undertaking never to trespass or invade the property.
For the government to engage in a brazen attempt to “divide and rule” the Trustees is a huge disservice to the frank and courteous manner we have conveyed to the government the elongated catalogue of injuries we have suffered for no reason other than we have sought to protect and preserve the sacred heritage bequeathed to us by our illustrious ancestors.
Not only has it been firmly established, (even by past Commissioners of Justice and Attorney-General) that the land on which the hall was built is properly vested via a 99-year lease between The Government of The Federation of Nigeria and the Trustees of the J.K. Memorial Fund. The lease is dated 9th June 1962. It was duly registered on 25th July 1962 as Title No LO4514 as evidenced by the Lagos State Land Registry Certificate. Therefore, the government cannot just wake up and proceed to demolish private property for whatever reasons to serve its own purpose without due process and compliance with the law. That is the recipe for chaos and anarchy.
While we were still struggling to come to terms with the demolition of Chief J.K. Randle Memorial Hall, the government had tasted blood and immediately pounced on the adjoining property – the Dr. J.K. Randle Swimming Pool, which was the private property of late Dr. J.K. Randle, a pioneer medical practitioner [1855 to 1928].
We should be forgiven for wondering why government should be so eager to commit its resources to a business which would be better consummated by private enterprise. In a democracy, the government has no business in business! Rather, government should confine its energies and resources to far more pressing social necessities – schools, hospitals, roads, security, etc.
On our own, we had applied to the government for approval to construct a befitting edifice to replace the old Chief J.K. Randle Memorial Hall to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the demise of Chief J.K. Randle who died on 17th December 1956. Unknown to us, the non-responsiveness of government was a deliberate ploy to frustrate us in order to clear the way for its own hidden agenda.
Similarly, ahead of the 90th Anniversary of the death of Dr. J.K. Randle on 28th February 1928, our plan is to commence the building of a brand new Swimming Pool and specialist hospital on the site of the old Swimming Pool. Again, government is determined to frustrate us.
What have we or our ancestors done to incur the wrath of government stretching back over six decades? The list of totally undeserved aggravations, violations, invasions and confiscations is as long as it is inexplicable. The “Case File” has been forwarded to the highest level of government but there is no response.
Consequently, the situation with which the J.K. Randle family is faced with calls for the highest degree of maturity, diplomacy, tact and strategic thinking that extends to (and embraces) risk assessment / risk management.
This cannot but commence with the professional valuation of the Chief J.K. Randle Memorial Hall; the Dr. J.K. Randle Swimming Pool and the adjacent former “Love Garden” now known as the MUSON Centre, which was also the property of Dr. J.K. Randle.
Fortunately, we have at the highest level of government seasoned chartered accountants who are well versed in opportunity cost as well as cost-benefit analysis. Hence, the J.K. Randle family cannot reasonably be expected to surrender exceptionally valuable (and unique) land for a project in which they would have neither equity nor reversionary nights. Indeed, we are not even privy to the project scope; design; Business Plan; Budget; Feasibility Report; Return On Investment; Financial Modelling; econometrics etc. As regards the management of the project when completed we are completely in the dark.
Of course we are vaguely aware that the project contemplated by government is meant to attract tourists to Lagos. We have no idea of what the magnitude of revenue expected. In any case, owing to the escalating number of global terrorist attacks against tourists (and other soft targets), most countries are compelled to review (or revise downwards) their investment in tourism as well as the potential damage in the event of a fresh wave of kidnapping of tourists or bombing of tourism sites/venues.
It bears repetition that our ancestors were champions of goodwill and love to all; malice and hatred to none. This automatically raises the question which must be vigorously addressed: What is different now? The answer is partially provided by the cynical ploy to create division amongst the Trustees of Chief J.K. Randle Memorial Hall.
J.K. Randle, OFR; FCA
