When people say things like “Lagos is not for the poor,” a couple of things might cross your mind: perhaps how a single bedroom costs millions of naira, how Ubers are expensive, how you can’t have an experience without spending thousands of naira, or how clubbing costs millions. But how about people who are being displaced right before our eyes?
First, it was the inhabitants of Oworonshoki, and now it’s the inhabitants of the beautiful community of Makoko, known for living on the water just underneath the 3rd Mainland Bridge.
How Did the Lagos State Government Break Its Promise?
Officials from the Lagos State Government assured traditional chiefs of Makoko that the demolition of structures would be limited to a 30–50 metre safety corridor from high-tension power lines. 
However, the reality has diverged significantly from this promise, as demolitions have extended far beyond these limits, demolishing homes, schools, and hospitals indiscriminately and reportedly reaching areas between 277 and 522 meters from the original demarcation.
In the words of Oby Ezekwesili in her article in The Guardian Nigeria: “What is happening in Makoko is an undisputed constitutional failure of process, transparency, and restraint. Period.”
Until the latest “safety reasons,” the repeated justification for demolitions in Makoko was under the banner of “urban renewal” or “megacity aspirations,” and that in itself reveals a deeply troubling governance mindset. It is the classist mindset that thinks of development as something done to the poor, not with them, and that the city is for the wealthy while the poor are disposable.”
This displacement is legal and moral conundrum for the state which, by creating homelessness, undermines constitutional rights.
The state has not provided immediate humanitarian assistance or temporary shelter following the demolitions. This is against both national and international law standards regarding eviction and displacement. Additionally, Business Day reports multiple deaths, including an infant’s.
What’s The Lagos Government Saying?
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo told the press he is only trying to clear them away from high tension lines. In his words, “The regulation is you need to clear between 150-250metres away from the regulation line… We are not demolishing all of Makoko, we are clearing people not to get to Third mainland bridge and to stay off the high tension. We are aware that some local and international NGO want to profit from this.”
However, families who have nowhere else to go are now sleeping in canoes. The people of Makoko being forcibly displaced from their homes, ones they’ve lived in for generations, and not being given alternative accommodation is a blatant violation of their human rights and once again proves that Lagos is unforgiving to the poor.
About The Author
