Lagos Assembly orders stoppage of demolition at Makoko

Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday ordered the stoppage of the demolition exercise going on at Makoko community waterfront in the State.

Hon Noheem Adams who is the chairman of the Ad-Hoc committee set up by the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, made the disclosure.

It would be recalled that hundreds of displaced residents of Makoko had staged protest to the Assembly last week over the demolition exercise.

The protest had created tension which had led to the arrest of some activists who are currently undergoing trial.

The State government said the demolition exercise was to ensure safety as the residents built structures under high tension cables.

Adams who is the Leader of the House read out the resolution of the Committee shortly after stakeholders’ meeting at Lateef Jakande Auditorium in the Assembly premises, Alausa, Ikeja.

Adams said, “On behalf of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa and and on behalf of all 40 members of the House, we are directing that all ministries henceforth should stop work with all demolitions, I repeat, all demolitions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities should stop from today, all demolitions will start until further notice.

“That the taskforce that was constituted, we want to see the list of the taskforce because we want the residents to be duly involved and to be carried along. So we want to have the schedule of those taskforce and the criteria for those that we are inviting.

“To the residents of Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities, as your representatives, we are giving you all assurances that they will stop demolitions henceforth and there will be compensations for all those that their properties have been demolished.”

The Leader went on to ask the audience, “So are you satisfied with the committee’s work or you are not satisfied?” And there was thunderous reply of “We are satisfied.”

Earlier, in the course of interrogating the chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Hon Bayo Adefuye, a member of the Committee who is the chairman of the House committee on Information and Strategy, Hon Stephen Ogundipe said, “The most important point is that there should be communication even if you are not going there physically. Those you want to help must know the plan you have for them.”

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on E-GIS and Urban Renewal, Dr Babatunde Olajide who also present, had said on Monday during a press briefing that the State government would compensate residents of Makoko whose properties had been demolished.

Dr Olajide further disclosed that Governor Sanwo-Olu had set aside $2 million dollars since 2021 for the redevelopment of the Makoko waterfront to meet international standard.

He stated that the State government is already working on a large water city project to redevelop the community, adding “We have to do it with human face. We have been working on this since 2021.

“All those people who have been affected have to be compensated and we have the taskforce. We are in the process of enumeration but the first thing to do is to save the people. It is better to be wary than to be late.”

Some of the leaders of the communities who were present maintained that they were no longer interested in NGOs to interfer in their affairs.

They agreed that they were capable of handling their issues especially now that the State House of Assembly had intervened.

In his comment, Baale of Makoko, Shogunro, Iwaya LCDA, High Chief Yusuf Sagra said, “We are here to explain to on our petition to members of the House on what is happening in our communities and we are happy, they have given us a word of peace and we are satisfied.”

Also, Chief Orioye Ogungbure said, “I’m happy over this deliberation. I didn’t expect it. If government will continue to go this way whenever people have grievances, it will be okay. This is democracy, our government should continue to listen to the people.”