Widow, 92, sues government seeking return of her schools

A 92-year-old widow, Roseline Ololo, has urged a Federal High Court, Lagos to grant an order returning the Metropolitan College and Isolo Secondary School to her.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the widow instituted the action for the enforcement of her fundamental human rights as enshrined in chapter 4 of the 1999 constitution as amended.
The suit was filed on behalf of the widow and her company, Akaix West Africa Limited, by a lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo.
Respondents to the suit are 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 an affidavit deposed to by the plaintiff, she contended that in 1940, she and her late husband, Akaihieobi-Ololo Ogwu, moved from the Eastern part of Nigeria to the Lagos colony.
She said in 1952, they both incorporated the company, Akaix Africa Limited, in which name they established Metropolitan College.
She said: “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 its existence, was located in a rented apartment at No 15 Banire Street, Surulere.
“In 1966, before the civil war, we purchased over 8.17 hectares of land at the Atire-Akari Isolo area of Lagos.”
The plaintiff added that for expansion purposes and to move away from the thickly populated residential area of Surulere, they relocated the school to a new site in 1974.
She added: “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.
“However, in 2001, the administration of Governor Bola Tinubu repealed the law and returned the said 48 private schools to their owners.”
Ololo alleged that, curiously, metropolitan college was not returned to its owners, a development which she said, brought about the suit.
She is therefore, praying the court for a declaration that the refusal of the respondents to return the schools to her violated her constitutional rights to acquire and own landed properties.
She claimed that the acts of the respondents amounted to a willful attempt to exploit, marginalise and victimise her on account of her sex as a female and her status as an old person.
The plaintiff prayed the court for a declaration that the refusal by the government to return her schools is “unjust, unconstitutional, illegal and unlawful”.
Ololo, is therefore, seeking the court order restraining the respondents from further infringing on her fundamental right as well as an order returning her properties to her.
No date has been fixed for hearing in the case.
NAN.