A 92-years-old widow, Mrs. Roseline Ololo, has dragged the Lagos State Government before a Federal High Court in Lagos over the ownership of Metropolitan College and Isolo Secondary School.
The nonagenarian woman has been having an ongoing battle with government of Lagos state Nigeria, over the ownership of the two schools in the state.
She had once threatened to occupy the Lagos state governor’s office over the school matter.
Mrs. Ololo urged the court for an order, returning her schools, Metropolitan College and Isolo Secondary School, back to her as the proprietor.
Included as respondents in the suit are: The Federal Government of Nigeria, The Attorney General of the Federation, The Minister of Education, The Lagos State Government, Lagos State Attorney General, and The Lagos State Commissioner for Education.
In her suit, she is praying the court for a declaration that the refusal by the Lagos State Government to return her schools, is unjust, unconstitutional, illegal and unlawful.
According to her lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo, the suit was instituted for the enforcement of her Fundamental Human Rights as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
According to a report in the Daily Trust, in a court affidavit she personally submitted by herself, she stated that in 1940 she and her late husband, Mr Akaihieobi-Ololo Ogwuand moved from the Eastern part of Nigeria to the Lagos colony.
She said that in 1952, they both incorporated a company, Akaix Africa Ltd, in which name they established Metropolitan College.
“Via a letter with Ref No: CEO/18L/31/25 dated March 1, 1956 our company was granted permission by the Federal Ministry of Education, to establish Metropolitan College of Commerce.
“The school for about 18 years of existence, was located at No 15 Banire St., Surulere in a rented apartment.
“In 1966, before the Nigeria/Biafran Civil war, we purchased over 8.17 hectares of land at the Atire-akari Isolo area of Lagos,” she said in the affidavit.
The widow also said that for expansion purposes and to move away from the thickly populated residential area of Surulere, they moved to the new site in 1974.
“In 1976, through the Education (Private Secondary Institutions Special Provisions) Law, the Military Government of Lagos State took over 48 Private Secondary Schools from their owners, including Metropolitan College.
“In the process, Isolo Secondary School was carved out of Metropolitan College on the same expanse of land hosting the college.
She however said that in 2001, the administration of Chief Ahmed Bola Tinubu repealed the law and returned the said 48 private schools to their owners.
Mrs. Ololo then claimed that the Metropolitan College was ‘curiously’ not returned to its owners, a development which she said brought about the law suit.
Therefore, she is praying the court for a declaration that the refusal of the respondents to return back her schools violated her constitutional rights to acquire and own landed properties.
No Particular date has yet been fix for hearing the case.
