- Lagos Assembly Orders Immediate Halt to Makoko Demolitions
- Demolition exercise suspended pending further assessment
- Government cited safety concerns under power lines
The Lagos State House of Assembly has met with residents of the Makoko community affected by the recent demolition exercise and directed relevant ministries and agencies to immediately halt further demolitions in the area.
The meeting, held on Monday, was convened to address concerns arising from the demolition activities in Makoko and Oworonshoki communities.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that leading the engagement, the Majority Leader of the House, Noheem Adams, who also chairs the House Committee on Makoko Demolition, ordered all ministries and agencies involved to suspend demolition activities in Makoko, Oko Afon and Shogunro communities.
Adams assured residents that members of the House would visit the affected communities to conduct on the spot assessments aimed at determining the exact setbacks being enforced by the state government.
He added that community leaders would be elected to serve as members of a task force committee to be constituted to oversee the exercise.
The lawmaker stated that while the state government remained committed to protecting lives and property, it could not overlook the dangers associated with living under high tension power lines.
Lawmakers at the meeting also expressed displeasure with the Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Bayo Adefuye, over the distribution of food items to residents displaced by the demolitions.
According to the House, the immediate need of the affected residents was shelter rather than food palliatives.
Speaking at the meeting, the Special Adviser on e GIS and Urban Development, Olajide Babatunde, said the state government had consistently engaged Makoko residents on its ongoing regeneration plan for the community.
He explained that the government had no intention of wiping out Makoko, adding that the demolition exercise had been stopped.
Babatunde disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu had earmarked two million dollars for the development of Makoko, stressing that the community would remain part of Lagos State.
“Makoko will remain there because it is part of Lagos history,” he said.
He further assured that residents affected by the demolition would be duly compensated.
Some community leaders at the meeting reportedly stated that they no longer wanted any non governmental organisation to represent them, expressing readiness to engage directly with the state government.
They appealed to the government to completely stop the demolition exercise in Makoko.
Lagos State officials explained that the demolitions were carried out for safety and urban renewal purposes.
According to them, all structures built within 100 metres of high tension transmission lines crossing the lagoon were marked for removal.
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