Lagos Assembly halts Makoko demolition | Prestige Real Estate News
Lagos State House of Assembly has ordered stoppage of demolition at Makoko community waterfront.
This was disclosed yesterday by the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee set up by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, Noheem Adams.
Hundreds of displaced residents of Makoko had protested at the assembly last week over the demolition.
The protest created tension, which led to the arrest of some activists, who are undergoing trial.
The state government said the demolition was to ensure safety, as the residents built structures under high tension cables.
Adams, the Leader of the House, read out the resolution of the committee shortly after stakeholders’ meeting at Lateef Jakande Auditorium yesterday on the assembly premises in Alausa, Ikeja.
Adams said: “On behalf of the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa and on behalf of all 40 members of the House, we are directing that all ministries henceforth should stop work with all demolitions. I repeat, all demolitions at Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities should stop from today.
“The task force that was constituted, we want to see the list of the task force because we want the residents to be duly involved and to be carried along. So, we want to have the schedule of those task force and the criteria for those that we are inviting.
“To the residents of Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities, as your representatives, we are giving you all assurances that they will stop demolitions henceforth and there will be compensations for those that their properties have been demolished.”
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on E-GIS and Urban Renewal, Dr Babatunde Olajide, who was also present at the meeting, had said on Monday during a news briefing that the state government would compensate residents of Makoko whose properties had been demolished.
He said Governor Sanwo-Olu set aside $2 million since 2021 for the redevelopment of Makoko waterfront to meet international standard.
He said the government was 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’’.
