Investigation by the Nigerian Compass revealed that the rise in rent has adversely affected many business owners, whose property were consumed in the ongoing demolition.
Findings showed that many of the business owners have been unable to secure new places to re-start their businesses.
Others that succeeded in getting new places to begin their trading have had to pay through their noses.
In Omida, Sapon, Panseke, Itoku and other areas in Abeokuta where the state government's bulldozers had pulled down hundreds of structures, landlords whose buildings survived the demolition have started to hike their rents.
The Nigerian Compass learnt that shops which were hitherto rented for between N3,000 and N5,000 per month have now been increased to N6,000 and N8,000 per month.
It was gathered that the property owners also demand two years advance rent while also asking prospective tenants to pay outrageous agreement fees, among other levies.
A trader, Mrs. Rebecca Ifeoluwa, who spoke with the Nigerian Compass, said the development had negatively impacted on businesses.
Ifeoluwa lamented that though her shop was affected by the demolition in Omida, Abeokuta, she secured another one by paying exorbitant sum.
"After my shop was demolished, I was lucky to get another shop. But it was too expensive. I paid N7,000 per month for the new shop as against what I paid for my former shop which was N4,000.
"However, I was fortunate that the landlord collected one year rent from me after I made so much appeal. But generally, rents have increased in Abeokuta since the demolition started."
Another trader, Mrs. Kafilat Agbaje, said her landlord had already given her quit notice.
Agbaje, who deals in fruit juice and can drinks in Panseke, claimed that the quit notice was probably informed by the desire of her landlord to reap from the trend in rising rents.
"The caretaker in charge of my shop has already issued a quit notice signed by my landlord. What I discovered is that the landlord wants to increase rent so that he can gain more if new tenants are allowed to take the shop," she added.
It will be recalled that Governor Ibikunle Amosun recently ordered the demolition exercise to pave the way for the expansion of certain major roads in the state capital.
Meanwhile, the state branch of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) has urged Amosun to take a second look at the process of compensating property owners.
The state NIESV Chairman, Mr. Olalekan Lukan, who spoke at the weekend, argued that the governor had not created the room for owners of demolished structures to have right of claimant.
Lukan, who led other members to a courtesy call to the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, said there was need for government to allow owners seek the consent of a private valuer other than relying on the valuers presented by government alone.
He called for the creation of unit for surveyors so as to checkmate the excessive activities of land speculators.
He also pleaded with government to allow surveyors in the state benefit more from government contracts, saying this would stimulate interest of the profession in the heart of young graduates.
He said: "The only aspect that we are begging the government is the right of claimant. In this present administration, the estate surveyors and valuers handling government jobs are mostly from Lagos.
"In the local government establishment, we have made frantic efforts but it has never yielded result. If we have surveyors in all the local government areas, there is no way young graduates will not benefit from it."
In his response, Olugbenle lamented that the profession had not enjoyed sufficient media hype which, he said, had made professionals rarely enjoy government appointments.
The monarch, an estate surveyor, admonished members to collaborate towards benefiting from economic prosperity posed by potential companies which would soon bombard the state.
He bemoaned the absence of private practitioners in the state, warning that if pro-active measures were not put in place, quacks could take over the profession.
Olugbenle charged the branch to identify with institutions offering the course, expressing his desire to open up a firm in the state in order to contribute his quota to the reduction of unemployment.
In a related development, the internal wrangling within the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ogun State reared its ugly head at the weekend when Governor Ibikunle Amosun and a House of Representatives member, Abiodun Akinlade, snubbed each other.
It was at the annual Oronna Ilaro Festival held in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state, where Oba Olugbenle and eminent personalities were also in attendance.
The festival ground on Saturday was literally turned into a campaign rally as groups loyal to the duo engaged in abusive political songs.
Amosun, who was special guest of honour at the event, was said to have been shunned by Akinlade when he arrived at the function.
But the lawmaker, representing Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency, exchanged pleasantries with other dignitaries and also acknowledged greetings from political figures.
The governor, while also reading his address, failed to recognise the Akinlade, who is House Committee Chairman on Science and Technology, in the order of protocol.
The Nigerian Compass gathered that the incident might not be unconnected with the 2015 governorship race which has pitted loyalists of the two gladiators against each other in the ruling ACN.
Akinlade is widely believed to be eyeing the next governorship seat, a development which the Amosun camp in the party was not favourably disposed to.
Sources at the venue of the festival said there were attempts by some political adversaries in the ACN to attack Akinlade after the festival.
An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said: "There were plans and attempts to attack Akinlade, especially when he came and the crowd started hailing and shouting his name.
"You know he and the governor were never in talking terms. He greeted the Kabiyesi and made way for his seat to avoid being embarrassed like Amosun did during coronation of Kabiyesi at this same Ilaro in April and the governor did not recognise him in his speech as well."
The source added that when news filtered around the festival ground that some agents of the state government had conspired to attack the lawmaker, many people, including youths of his constituency, mobilised themselves to resist the impending attack.
In the ensuing confusion that greeted the town, some supporters of the lawmaker were said to have been seriously molested.
"He was moving freely within the empire ground and mass mobilisation was done for him, but there were reports that some of his supporters were harassed with guns and other dangerous objects and their vehicles damaged after Akinlade left the scene," the source added.
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