Residents sit outside their demolished stilt houses, after the Lagos metropolitan government begins the demolition of the Makoko riverine settlement on the Lagoon along the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday intervened in the escalating crisis affecting the waterfront communities of Makoko, OkoAfon and Dongunro, ordering an immediate halt to all demolition activities by state agencies.
The directive followed rising tension between residents and the state government over what communities described as an expansion of the demolition zone beyond earlier agreements.
To de-escalate the situation, lawmakers invited community leaders to a formal meeting to address grievances and negotiate a way forward on the proposed $10 million Water City project.
Addressing the petition at the Assembly complex on behalf of the Speaker, the Deputy Chief Whip, Noheem Adams, extended an olive branch to displaced residents, insisting the legislature would not stand by while citizens were rendered homeless without due process.
“The State Assembly is a friend of the citizens and will intervene in matters affecting them. We are assuring you that demolition will stop and those affected will be duly compensated.
“The House will also come to Makoko to see for ourselves. We won’t allow this matter to linger,” Adams said.
He also called for transparency around the taskforce overseeing the area, demanding a list of its members to ensure community representation, adding: “We want the residents to be involved and carried along.”
At the centre of the dispute are shifting boundaries of the demolition zone. While the state government initially said it would clear structures within 30 to 50metres of high-tension power lines for safety reasons, residents allege the buffer has continued to expand.
“The initial agreement was 30 to 50 metres, secondary expansion, 100 to 150 metres and current claims 500+ metres,” a community representative said.
Responding on behalf of the governor, the Special Adviser on E-GIS, Olajide Babatunde, defended the government’s position, saying the exercise was part of a broader urban renewal plan.
He disclosed that the state had committed $2 million to the Water City project, with the United Nations expected to contribute an additional $8 million.
“The community is working with us,” he said, playing down reports of casualties. “To the best of my knowledge, we did not record any deaths. Property was demolished, yes, but those affected will be compensated.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Dr Bayo Adefioye, questioned the adequacy of relief provided to residents whose homes had already been pulled down. Although food items were distributed, lawmakers dismissed the gesture as insufficient given the scale of the losses.
“Food items were not the kind of palliative the people needed at that time,” a lawmaker said, noting that residents were seeking housing security rather than temporary aid.
Despite the tension, community leaders expressed cautious optimism following the Assembly’s intervention. The Baale of Sogunro Makoko, Yusuf Sgara, said: “We are very happy the lawmakers addressed our issues. We show solidarity with the state and federal government, provided our right to exist in Makoko is respected.”
In this article