By Hunvio Elizabeth Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday defended the Lagos State Government’s ongoing demolition of waterfront settleme...
By Hunvio Elizabeth
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday defended the Lagos State Government’s ongoing demolition of waterfront settlements in Makoko, insisting that the exercise is a matter of public safety, even as critics accuse the administration of carrying out an operation that is costing the urban poor their lives and livelihoods.
Speaking to journalists at the State House in Alausa, the governor described the demolition as a difficult but necessary decision aimed at preventing what he called an imminent disaster. According to him, many of the demolished structures were illegally erected directly beneath high-tension power lines and along critical power corridors, posing a grave risk not only to Makoko residents but to millions of Lagosians who rely on the infrastructure.
“We understand the pain and the emotions involved, but leadership sometimes requires hard choices,” Sanwo-Olu said. “These buildings were dangerously positioned. If a high-voltage line falls into the water, the scale of the tragedy would be unimaginable. Our responsibility is to prevent such a catastrophe, not to wait for it to happen.”
The governor also turned his attention to what he described as the politicisation and commercialisation of the crisis. He accused some local and international non-governmental organisations of exaggerating the impact of the demolition in order to attract foreign funding, while offering little practical support to affected residents. Sanwo-Olu claimed the state has evidence that some groups have profited from crisis narratives without delivering meaningful aid on the ground.
However, these claims have done little to calm growing public outrage, especially following an
investigative report by BusinessDay that documented what it described as the human cost of the Makoko clearance.
Published early Tuesday morning, the report detailed alleged deaths linked to the operation, including that of a newborn baby.
According to the investigation, the infant, born to fisherman Mansur Atiba, reportedly died after inhaling tear gas deployed by security operatives during clashes with protesting residents on January 15. The report also identified an elderly woman, Mama Albertine Ojadikluno, who allegedly died from shock shortly after her ancestral home was demolished.
For many residents and rights groups, these deaths represent a line that should never have been crossed. They argue that even if safety concerns are legitimate, the manner in which the demolition has been carried out shows little regard for human life.
At the heart of the controversy is a disputed safety agreement. Community leaders under the Makoko Community Development Association say they reached an understanding with the state government for a 30-metre setback from the power lines. They allege that without consultation or notice, the government later expanded the clearance zone to 100 metres and, in some areas, up to 200 metres.
This expansion, rights groups including Justice and Empowerment Initiatives say, dramatically increased the number of people affected by the demolition, displacing an estimated 80,000 residents. What was initially presented as a limited safety exercise has, in their view, turned into a mass eviction with devastating consequences.
As of Tuesday morning, Makoko’s waterfront bore the signs of a humanitarian emergency. More than 3,000 structures, including homes, schools and small clinics, have been destroyed. Entire families are now living in wooden canoes on the Lagos Lagoon, cooking, sleeping and bathing in the same confined spaces. Children have been seen attempting to continue their education on open boats, while parents struggle to find food and clean water.
“The government says they are saving us from electricity,” one resident told BusinessDay. “But now we are hungry, cold and stranded on the water. This feels like a slow death.”
Despite mounting criticism, the Lagos State Government has shown no indication of halting the demolition. Officials maintain that safety considerations outweigh all other concerns and insist that alternative arrangements are being explored, though details of resettlement or compensation remain unclear.
For now, Makoko stands as a stark symbol of the collision between urban renewal policies and the lives of the poor. While the government frames the demolition as a preventive safety measure, critics say the true cost is being paid by the most vulnerable, one destroyed home and one lost life at a time.
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