Makoko Demolition: We’ve Committed $2m Regeneration of Community

Segun James

Lagos State Government has said that as part of regeneration effort the government has set aside $2 million dollars since for the redevelopment of the Makoko waterfront to meet international standard.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on E-GIS and Urban Renewal, Dr. Babatunde Olajide, made this disclosure at a press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja yesterday.

The disclosure followed criticism of the handling of the demolition of the waterfront community by the state government.

He disclosed 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 that 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.”

According to him, “Preservation, renovation, regeneration, redevelopment, all of those things are terminologies that are in urban renewal.”

He pointed out that “it is not to say that those of us that are here, are the people who are responsible for everything that goes on in the neighborhood that people think are negative. These things are not negative. This is what we have to do.

“So, we need to do what we have to do. If we do not do them, then we are endangering the lives of the people.

“However, we need to do it and I have explained we have to do it in a systematic way. We have to do it according to international conventions.”

Dr. Olajide cited several other regeneration projects by the state government, saying Makoko demolition was not peculiar.

He recalled the General Conference in 1992 in Brazil where it was agreed everybody is entitled to adequate shelter, adding “Adequate, not shelters that are dangerous.

The Special Adviser recalled that United Nations delegation had visited the area in 2021, “So, it is not an area that we are joking with at all. It is an area that we want to ensure that we do the needful and improve their living standards.

“So, the United Nations has gone there and promised that we are going to support the Lagos State Government. We have been having meetings and Mr. Govonor had set up a committee made up of Commissioners for Waterfront, the Special Adviser for Tourism, the Commissioner for Waterfront, who is no longer with us, the SA Tourism, who is now at the Labour State House of Assembly, the Special Adviser of BPP, who is now the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget. I’m the only one that has remained in my position.

“And one of the things that came out of our several meetings in Cairo, in Washington in different places that we have had these meetings, was the fund. So, Mr. Governor committed $2million dollars for the redevelopment of the community and we’re expecting $8 million dollars counterpart funding from the United Nations but I’m sure we all know what is happening today.

“There are funds that are no longer available to most of those donor agencies and multilateral organizations.

“And what we need to do is to look inwards, and this is where, you know, the Lagos State Government, together with our international partners, are calling on different donor agencies, the international community, various business organizations within and outside Nigeria to support us,” Olajide stated.

He added, “Early last year, one of the things that we accomplished was the location of the Okobaba. We moved them without any noise. We moved them to Agbowa. That land, measuring about 30 to 35 acres of land, we had to provide 300 houses.

“Not only that, billions of naira worth of equipment were actually provided to the operational area. That’s a project that has been coming up since 1999 and that was accomplished under this administration.

“If this government will provide houses just to relocate people into more conducive environment, we need to have looked at the living conditions of those people. The people there have been resettled. We are also giving them equipment that they did not have before.

“And that’s the same place that we’re having the permanent orientation camp for the National Youth Service Corps. So, it’s a prime area. Also, we relocated compensated the people of Pelewura. So, we are very much interested in well-being and welfare of our people.”

Earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, noted, “All of us saw the protest about the demolitions in Lagos, talking about Makoko, Peleruwa and others.

“They said the government disregard them. I usually tell people that protest is a fundamental human right; we will not do anything to stifle free speech but the right to protest should not impugn on the right of others.

“People believed Makoko demolition is anti-people. They said because the governor is not coming back that is why we are so emboldened to demolish people’s properties. People are entitled to their emotions but there are facts and figures.

Omotoso therefore stated, “The idea of benefiting from the people in order to push them for their selfish interest is very bad.”