There has been massive tension in Oworonshoki axis of Lagos, among property owners whose houses were marked for demolition following a recent demolition effort by the Lagos State government. Currently, more than 60% of the houses have not yet been demolished.
After a series of protests from homeowners, the government has delayed the remaining demolitions by two weeks to allow residents to perfect their titles with the Lagos State government. There are also ongoing disputes involving King Oba Saliu Babatunde.
City People visited the community to speak with some community leaders and homeowners about the true state of affairs. According to a prominent community member, who is also a chief but requested to remain unnamed, there are several reasons for the house demolitions and why they may continue. He stated, “The people whose houses have been demolished or marked need to face the hard truth. First, when you want to build a house in Lagos or anywhere else in the country, the first thing you should do is apply for government approval. When you apply, the government will determine if the site (land) is suitable for building, and if it is, they will issue you the necessary approval. Once you have that approval, the government cannot demolish your house, and if they need to, they will provide adequate compensation. However, the majority of those whose houses were demolished do not have any approvals. What most of them possess are only land surveys and land receipts.”
He continued, “Additionally, many of those with issues purchased their land from fraudulent sellers who are not the legitimate owners. The true landowners are the Kabiesi of Oworonshoki, and they have proper documentation. Most of these transactions occurred over 10 years ago. Thus, many individuals will face challenges when trying to perfect their land titles.”
he explained.
“There are also cases of people who built their houses during the COVID-19 pandemic without applying for approval. They managed to build because government agencies were not enforcing regulations at that time. Some of the land they constructed on should not be developed at all; some were built on drainage areas that the government would not have approved.”
Many will recall that there have also been demolitions of structures in Alaba Market, Abule Egba, Ladipo Market, and Ajao Estate. However, the most devastating demolitions occurred in Oworonshoki, in the Kosofe LGA, where the state government pulled down hundreds of houses.
According to a house owner who spoke to us, “The main aim of the Oworonshoki evictions was to grab land from the poor and redistribute it among the ruling class and their cronies through private developers.”
The Socialist Workers League also condemned these actions and joined the protests led by Oworonshoki youth, driven by African Action Congress activists who says the right to shelter is a fundamental human right that must be respected.
The group pointed out, “Poor people in Lagos are struggling with hunger, poverty, and high living costs, yet the government is increasing the number of people on the streets. This has been the case since the demolition of Maroko on Victoria Island in 1990. The military government at that time handed over that land to the super-rich. This is oppression. There has been no difference between military and civilian governments in this regard. Whether in khaki or agbada, the exploiting class of capitalists always takes from poor working-class people to benefit the few billionaires and multimillionaires.”
However, Gbolahan Oki, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Urban and Regional Development, addressed a press conference on Tuesday evening and stated that the state government had held stakeholders’ meetings with residents over the past three years regarding the need to regularize their building approvals.
“We don’t just go to demolish; due process was followed. The buildings demolished were dilapidated and cracked; they were merely painted over,” he said. Oki noted that people had also complained about those who commit robberies on the Third Mainland Bridge and then retreat to shanties.
He also mentioned that the government plans to remove illegal structures built under high-tension cables in the Makoko community, Yaba. Expressing the government’s desire to ensure citizen safety, Oki stated that enforcement activities to remove illegal structures in Makoko would continue to prevent potential dangers.
“We have held several meetings with people living in Makoko because many of the shanties are built under high-tension cables. We have advised them to move, but they have refused. They are even extending into the middle of the Third Mainland Bridge, despite our warnings,” Oki explained.
He added, “As a government, we don’t just start removing buildings; we are working with their community leaders to clear illegal structures under high-tension power lines in the Makoko community. If any of those cables fall and something happens to the people, the blame will rest on the government. The lives of the people are more important, and they are also encroaching on the Third Mainland Bridge.”
Meanwhile, some of the protesters, described the demolition notice as “illegal.”
They questioned the decision to evict people who had occupied the Oworonshoki area for decades “on the grounds that they don’t have a building permit.”
According to what we gathered from them, “About 80 percent of the buildings in Lekki don’t have permits; over 60 percent of buildings in the country lack building permits. Will the government take them down because of that? A community that the government has abandoned and refused to develop now shows prospects, and some elites have interests in transforming it into an elite villa. You now want to drive low-income people out of their properties to make way for the wealthy who want to profit.”
