Many Issues Around Makoko Demolition
By Ajibade Esther Mosunmola
Makoko, Nigeria’s largest slum and home to over 200,000 people, experienced a shamble state, leaving residents stranded, confused, and unsettled with increasing death records after a government eviction sent excavators to carry out demolitions.
The largely impoverished area, which residents access by canoe, is on full display for commuters travelling across a busy bridge.
From the perspective of an average Lagosian, people look at it as a slum and an unhealthy environment because that’s the narrative being sold.
Makoko community leaders and humanitarian groups said at least four people had died during the demolitions.
Among them were two infants and a 70-year-old woman who they said suffered respiratory issues after tear gas was fired to scatter families trying to protect their homes.
Makoko is not just an environment; it is one of Lagos’ oldest settlements, with roots tracing back over a century to Egun fishing communities. Its demolition threatens to erase not only homes and memories built but also history and identity.
The latest demolition comes amid renewed debate over urban renewal policies in Lagos, with advocacy groups insisting that development must not come at the expense of the poor and vulnerable.
Makoko is an economic powerhouse, because a lot of trade happens there, it is a fishing village, where residents go out, fish, and bring back food for their family, they are literally pumping money into the economy.
While their source of livehood seems cut short, the Lagos State Government on the other hand has maintained that the demolitions were part of an urban regeneration programme to improve infrastructure and public safety, with compensation for verified homeowners.
Safety, on the other hand is an important factor worth noting, because this development has caused more harm than good, the demolition of Makoko’s waterfront has left thousands displaced and linked to multiple deaths, including infants.
Residents continue to plead for mercy, justice, and a place to call home before more infants, elders, and dreams are swept away by the tide of progress.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, say the demolitions reveal a consistent disregard for legal protections and human dignity.
Civil society leaders describe the operations as inhumane and a form of land grabbing, carried out without notice, consultation, or resettlement.
Responding to critics, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says evacuation notices had been served over two years before the demolitions, particularly for buildings located 150 to 250 meters from high-tension wires.
At the heart of this debate are three competing priorities: Is Lagos State pursuing genuine urban renewal, Is Lagos state government truly concerned about Makoko’s residents safety or is it repeating a familiar pattern of displacing the vulnerable under the guise of “Infrastructural development”?
Amidst this ongoing development, Makoko’s transformation should protect lives, livelihoods, and history rather than obliterate them because a government’s first duty and highest obligation is public safety.
Ajibade Esther Mosunmola is a Fellow of PRNigeria. [email protected]