Makoko Waterfront Residents Face Eviction December 20 By Lagos State Government

Makoko is a floating slum where half of the population lives in houses built on stilts over the Lagos Lagoon.

Its residents, who originated from coastal communities in the Niger Delta, Benin, Togo and Ghana, claim to have occupied the area since the early 1900s.

Half of the population resides in houses constructed on stilts over the Lagos Lagoon. Makoko faces significant challenges, including a lack of infrastructure like roads and water supply.

Watch video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hdlESgEHgg0&pp=ygUFbG4yNDc%3D

The community faces many challenges, including:

= Lack Of Infrastructure, Such As Roads And Water Supply

= Poor Environmental Sanitation

= Precarious Land Rights

= Illegal Occupation Of The Waterfront

In 2012, the south-west Lagos State government served an eviction notice to the residents of Makoko, a fishing community in Nigeria, claiming that the area was a security risk and interfered with the city’s planning.

The government gave residents 72 hours’ notice to vacate the area.

The government brought in the police and soldiers to destroy homes and evacuate the community.

A community leader was shot by police, and the eviction process was paused. A court injunction was issued to halt the demolition after the government failed to provide resettlement or compensation.

The eviction of Makoko residents highlights the struggles between low-income areas and government planners in Lagos.

Is this happening in Lagos state for the first time? Emphatically, no. (Show Eko Atlantic) Lagos State launched the Eko Atlantic City project in 2013 to reclaim about 10 million square metres of land from the sea to build a 21st-century skyline.

The construction proceeded after the removal of 80,000 people living alongside Victoria Island and the Bar Beach area.

The creation of Eko Atlantic and the eviction facing Makoko people reflect the exclusionary planning that has shaped Lagos urban development.

AGAIN, MAKOKO WATERFRONT IS FACING ANOTHER EVICTION DECEMBER 20, 2024.

The waterfront part of the community is largely harboured by the Egun people who migrated from Badagary and Republic of Benin and whose main occupation is fishing.

In this interview, one of leaders of people protesting the eviction, Dosunmugan Caleb gives us the history of the community and the plea and plight of the people.