Operators are calling on authorities to urgently provide adequate resettlement and support for the victims of the Oworonshoki demolition exercise.
In an interview with The PUNCH, the Executive Secretary of the Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria, Toye Eniola, noted that the recent demolitions underscore the government’s failure to prioritise resettlement, displacing families without a clear plan for their relocation or reintegration into the housing system.
He said, “There are two sides to the demolition. First, I am not in support of the demolition because it will increase homelessness and the housing deficit. Engaging in demolition at this stage clearly shows the ineptitude of the government in its oversight, planning, and regulatory responsibilities. What was the government doing before those houses were constructed from the foundation to completion? If they had waited without enforcing the laws that authorised them to demolish those houses, it would have been humane to arrange for the resettlement of the people before demolition.
“There are claims that the people were notified before the demolition, but then what informed it? Why were the people not issued appropriate permits and titles after the many years they occupied the area? Why were they not granted the opportunity to regularise their documentation, having been allowed to develop those houses without control? All of this appears like land grabbing, and it is obvious that none of those who lost their houses will have any opportunity for reallocation when the government is ready for the redevelopment of the area.”
In a similar vein, the Chief Executive Officer of Magnificent Choice Services Project and Engineering Limited, Jeremiah Akinsele, urged the Federal Government to resettle the displaced in line with United Nations Settlement Guidelines.
He said, “The government should ensure that displaced residents are resettled in appropriate locations in line with the United Nations Settlement Guidelines, which emphasise dignity, inclusion, and the right to adequate housing. Urban renewal should not be a tool for displacement but a pathway to improve living conditions, one that places people at the heart of development. Every action taken must reflect empathy, fairness, and accountability.
“Transparency is crucial in this process; affected communities must be properly consulted, informed, and involved in decision-making. Without openness and participation, urban renewal becomes an instrument of oppression rather than progress.”
PUNCH Online reports that fresh demolition struck the Coker and Ojulari areas of Oworonshoki in Lagos State at midnight on Saturday, hours after the state government announced that it had compensated about 80 property owners on Friday.
The government also said, through the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency on Sunday, that it was planning more compensation.
Eyewitnesses told The PUNCH that bulldozers moved into the area around midnight to carry out the demolition, which lasted until daybreak, with security officials providing backup.
The Attorney General maintained that government agencies cannot act on a “verbal notice” of a court decision, insisting that only formal service of court processes can trigger compliance.
“If there has been any order said to have been violated, my position is that no such order was brought to the attention of any government agency before the act being complained about,” he stated.
