LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Victor Ahansu, his wife and twin infants had just woken up when they were awakened by the grinding sound of a bulldozer. He said that was all the warning the family was given before fleeing mass evictions in Lagos’ historic Makoko neighborhood. Their house was demolished on January 11, one of thousands demolished in the ongoing operation.
Now, the five-month-old twins live with their parents on a wooden boat with a plastic woven bag to protect them from the rain. The thump of hammers filled the air as other residents of Nigeria’s largest city tore down homes and salvaged what they could.
“I can’t even go to work to earn money because I don’t want to leave my wife and children and the government is here again,” fisherman Ahansu told The Associated Press.
For decades, tens of thousands of people have lived in houses on stilts above the lagoon of Makoko, one of Africa’s oldest and largest seaside communities.
For many Nigerians, Makoko has long been unique. For nonprofits, it has been a testing ground for ideas like floating schools. But for some developers and authorities, it’s valuable seaside property in the hands of the city’s poorest people.
More than 3,000 homes have been demolished and 10,000 people displaced in the latest wave of demolitions that began in late December, according to a coalition of local advocacy groups. Makoko’s residents live here legally, but Nigeria’s land laws allow the government to expropriate any land it deems suitable for public purposes.
There is a long history of such mass evictions in this rapidly growing city on the Gulf of Guinea, home to an estimated 20 million people. Advocacy groups estimate hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes since the current state administration took office in 2023.
Hundreds of people protested against mass evictions across Lagos on Wednesday. Police used tear gas to disperse them.
population pressure
As Lagos’s population grows, people in low-income communities like Makoko have fallen on hard times amid government efforts to develop the metropolis.
Residents told The Associated Press that the Lagos state government in this case asked people to move 100 meters away from the power lines, but then the demolition activities continued.
Officials from the state’s Department of Physical Planning and Urban Development declined to answer questions about the Makoko demolition or residents’ accusations that little warning was given before the demolition took place on December 23.
However, officials pointed to recent comments by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who defended the evictions and cited security risks, saying communities had spread close to critical infrastructure.
Residents said the space in the Makoko area has been allocated to a private construction company, one of many in the city, whose waterfront space is often prized for luxury and other properties. The Associated Press could not confirm the allegation.
“I think when (the government) is looking for land that’s centrally located, because other places have been filled in, you can come and clean up communities because they’re less privileged, and you can make some case,” said Megan Chapman, co-director of the Justice and Empowerment Initiative, an advocacy group for displaced communities in Lagos.
high rent
Built in the 19th century, Makoko has survived past demolition attempts, often amid public outcry. Nicknamed the “Venice of Africa” by outsiders, the neighborhood winds its way through narrow streets and waterways. There are few public services such as electricity or waste management.
Those displaced say they have no choice. Lagos is one of the most expensive cities in Africa to rent. In a city where the minimum wage is 77,000 naira ($55), a room in an affordable apartment where dozens of people share a bathroom can cost up to 700,000 naira (about $500) a year.
Basirat Kpetosi sits on the ruins of her beachfront home in Makoko, frying dough for sale in piping hot oil. She has come to terms with her loss.
Kpetosi said she woke up to the sound of bulldozers on January 9 as her house was being demolished. Now she and her five children have nowhere to live.
Kpetosi, who comes from a fishing family, said she built the house – with two rooms on stilts made of bamboo and aluminum panels – on the lagoon last year.
She said they had received no compensation for the destruction of their homes and the government had not drawn up a resettlement plan for them, despite being required by law to do so. In a 2017 ruling by the Lagos High Court seen by The Associated Press, judges ruled that mass deportations without resettlement violated the “fundamental right to freedom from cruel and degrading treatment.”
“We slept in the open air,” Kpetosi said. “When it rains, it falls on me and my children.”
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