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Displaced former residents of Badia East in Ijora and Otodogbame in Lekki have appealed to the Lagos State government to resettle and compensate them over the demolition of their houses.
Many residents spoke to newsmen during a tour of the affected communities and sites by Deji Akinpelu, co-founder, Rethinking Cities, a non-governmental organization involved in environmental advocacy.
The affected residents disclosed that the demolitions were carried out within the last six years; between 2003, 2015 and 2016.
They, however, lamented that despite occupying the areas for decades they were forcefully evicted, while several of them lost their means of livelihood and properties worth millions of Naira during the demolition in the two communities.
The residents, said that they had occupied and resided in the area since 1973 when they were moved from their original place of resident at the site of the National Theatre when the construction of the theatre was about to begin.
The Ijora Badia residents who are now living in makeshift shanties within the area, however, allege that were paying rent to the Nigerian Railway Cooperation, before the land was claimed by the Ojora family.
An affected resident, Usman Yusuf, said successive administrations in the last few years had failed to keep up with promise to resettle them, while appealing to the Sanwo-Olu-led administration to come to their plight.
“Our houses in Ijora Badia were demolished in 2013, government should help us because we are citizens of this country, we believe we have a right and merit right of housing and all the social amenities that other people are getting. Since this demolition, our means of livelihood have also been cut off and our children are not going to school.
“Successive governments have promised to resettle us but nothing came out of it. Fashola was here and promised to build housing units that would accommodate us but nothing happened since he left office. We also approached the last administration of Akinwunmi Ambode but he did not keep to his words to resettle us also,” Usman said.
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Another displaced resident, Bose Olawunmi lamented that the government had failed to fulfill its promise of resettling them after the demolition.
She, however, urged meaningful individuals to come to their aid, stressing that many of them were jobless.
“Our houses were demolished some years ago and we had hoped that the government would relocate us but up till now the promises have not been kept. We were relocated here from the site of the National Theatre in 1973 when the place was to be built and we had lived here and paid rent to the Nigerian Railway Corporation,” she said.
Speaking on the demolitions, Akinpelu bemoaned the plight of the evicted residents, saying that it was time the state government take a look into its forceful eviction policy.
Akinpelu appealed to the Lagos State government to urgently resettle and compensate the residents of the two communities, while seeking an inclusive urban development policy from the government.
According to him, “We have constantly faced force evictions across the state. This month makes three years that Otodogbame and Ijora Badia communities were forcefully evicted. What we are looking is the effect, there is the assumption that when you evict this people they go to somehow but we are only creating more shanties because they would not go away. They are still here building something else.
“These people are having health hazard, the schools were demolished, and their child are at home. So we have to rethink this approach of demolition and resettlement for water front communities. This attitude of saying go there and forcefully evict the people is not working.
“For every force eviction that happens anyway, the people are affected are resettled and compensated.
“There are poor communities across the state; it is a discussion we need to have. What is the inclusive development plan for people across the state? Riverine areas, like Makoko, we need to begin to have that discussion. We need the help of international organisations to help us develop these areas”
However, when contacted the Commissioner of Information in Lagos State, Gbenga Omotosho, said though the current administration in the state was not aware of the demolitions, but noted that all genuine land tittle whose property was demolished would be compensated by the state government.
“This administration is new, we are not aware of those demolitions, but the state government would compensate any land owner whose property was demolished and have papers to prove ownership of the land,” Omotosho said.
