In the wake of recent demolition exercises in the Oworonshoki area and other parts of Lagos State, hundreds of families have been rendered homeless, their livelihoods disrupted, and their sense of security shaken. Many of these residents—artisans, informal traders, pensioners, children—now face the grim reality of displacement without adequate resettlement options.
While the Lagos State Government has framed the demolitions as part of legitimate urban renewal, compliance, law and order, environmental rehabilitation and infrastructure development programmes, the human cost demands urgent attention. In a megacity aspiring to global status, it is unacceptable that the most vulnerable are left to fend for themselves. The right to adequate housing is not a privilege—it is a constitutional and moral obligation of the State.
Indeed, Lagos is not without resources. The State’s budget for Housing and Community Amenities was raised to N101.6 billion in 2025—an increase of 81.7% over the N55.92 billion allocation in 2024. Moreover, authoritative sources estimate the State’s housing deficit at about 3.4 million units. Across the State, several low-cost housing developments exist or are underway, including those at Igbogbo, Ibeshe, Egan-Igando, Sangotedo, and Badagry, among others. For example, the 492-flat estate in Igando was commissioned by the government.
It would thus be both logical and compassionate for the State Government to allocate a portion of its existing low-cost housing stock to families displaced by the Oworonshoki demolitions (and similar actions elsewhere). Such a move would provide immediate relief, restore dignity, and reinforce the government’s commitment to inclusive governance and social justice.
Making this explicit policy decision would also help prevent the rise of informal settlements, reduce street homelessness, and restore public confidence in government-led urban renewal. These outcomes align with the State’s own declared goals of “inclusive housing” and “social infrastructure” investment.
If Lagos truly aspires to be a “21st-century economy”, it must begin by ensuring that no citizen is left homeless in the name of modernisation. The State must act now—not only to house the displaced, but to reaffirm that in Lagos, development does not mean dispossession
