Makoko Demolition: Lagos Assembly Orders Stoppage of Exercise

Segun James

As criticisms continue to trail the demolition of Makoko, an urban slum in the heart of Lagos mainland, the state House of Assembly has ordered the immediate stoppage of the exercise.

Hon Noheem Adams, who is the chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee set up by the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, said that the  exercise has created tension leading to the arrest of some activists who protested at the Assembly.

Some of these protesters are currently undergoing trial, even as he recalled that hundreds of displaced residents of Makoko had staged a protest at the Assembly last week over the demolition exercise.

Adams, who is the Leader of the House of Assembly, read out the resolution of the committee shortly after the stakeholders’ meeting at Lateef Jakande Auditorium in the Assembly premises.

He said: “On behalf of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, and all 40 members of the Assembly, we are directing that all ministries henceforth should stop all forms of demolitions; I repeat, all demolitions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon, and Shogunro communities should stop from today. All demolitions will start until further notice.

“We want to see the list of the task force constituted because we want the residents to be duly involved and to be carried along. So, we want to have the schedule of those taskforce and the criteria for those that we are inviting.

“To the residents of Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities, as your representatives, we are giving you all assurances that they will stop demolitions henceforth and there will be compensations for all those whose property has been demolished.”

The Assembly Leader asked the audience: “So are you satisfied with the committee’s work or not?” And there was a thunderous reply of “we are satisfied.”

Earlier, in the course of interrogating the Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Hon Bayo Adefuye, a member of the Committee, who is the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Information and Strategy, Hon Stephen Ogundipe, said: “The most important point is that there should be communication even if you are not going there physically. Those you want to help must know the plan you have for them.”

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on E-GIS and Urban Renewal, Dr. Babatunde Olajide, who was also present, last Monday, during a press briefing, said that the state government would compensate residents of Makoko whose property had been demolished.

Olajide further disclosed that Governor Sanwo-Olu had set aside $2 million  since 2021 for the redevelopment of the Makoko waterfront to meet international standards.

He stated that the state government is already working on a large water city project to redevelop the community, adding: “We have to do it with a human face. We have been working on this since 2021.

“All those who have been affected have to be compensated, and we have the task force. We are in the process of enumeration but the first thing to do is to save the people. It is better to be wary than to be late.”

Some of the leaders of the communities, who were present, maintained that they were no longer interested in NGOs interfering  in their affairs.

They agreed that they were capable of handling their issues, especially now that the state House of Assembly had intervened.

In his comment, the Baale of Makoko, Shogunro, Iwaya LCDA, High Chief Yusuf Sagra, said: “We are here to explain our petition to members of the House of Assembly on what is happening in our communities, and we are happy and satisfied that they have given us a word of peace.”

Also, Chief Orioye Ogungbure said: “I am happy over this deliberation. I didn’t expect it. If the government continues to go this way whenever the people have grievances, it will be okay. This is democracy; our government should continue to listen to the people.”