The Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has expressed concern over the ongoing demolition of homes in the Makoko area of Lagos State, which has left more than 9,000 residents displaced, their homes destroyed and their futures uncertain.
It argued that while the government has a responsibility to protect lives and enforce planning regulations, the sudden demolition of homes without adequate alternative settlement plans exposes residents to homelessness, poverty and social instability.
Speaking on the development, the Executive Director of the Housing Development Advocacy Network, Festus Adebayo, acknowledged the Lagos State government’s position that some of the demolished structures were built under high-tension power lines, posing serious safety risks.
With a population estimated at between 80,000 and 250,000, residents of Makoko live in stilted wooden homes over the Lagos Lagoon and are burdened by poor sanitation, a lack of schools, clean water, electricity and waste management.
Many residents survive on artisanal fishing and informal trade. Over time, the state government has labelled Makoko an environmental and security-risk urban settlement, prone to flooding and fire hazards, and has planned a regeneration of the area.
However, Adebayo insisted that safety concerns should not be addressed in a manner that violates the rights and dignity of vulnerable citizens.
The Housing Development Advocacy Network therefore called on the Lagos State Government to urgently suspend further demolitions pending engagement with affected communities; provide clear, affordable and accessible alternative settlement options for displaced residents; ensure compensation and resettlement plans that align with national and international housing and human rights standards; and adopt participatory urban planning approaches that include community voices in decision-making.
He added: “No Lagos resident should be rendered homeless in the name of development. A truly modern city protects both infrastructure and its people.”
Adebayo further stressed that the Housing Development Advocacy Network remained committed to working with government authorities, civil society organisations and community leaders to promote safe, inclusive and sustainable housing solutions across Lagos State and Nigeria at large.
Speaking recently on the demolition, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, accused various local and international non-governmental organisations of exploiting the ongoing demolition and displacement in the Makoko waterfront community to attract donor funding.
The governor alleged that these organisations use imagery of the crisis to raise significant capital from international donors without delivering tangible benefits to affected residents.
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