The
bulldozers of the Lagos State Government are extra busy these days.
First in Ijora-Badia, a sprawling shanty town, which is adjacent to
Orile and Costain train stations, and later in the more upscale Itun-Omo
Estate, in Odoragushin area of Epe, rumbling and rampaging bulldozers
moved in, reducing hopes, dreams and futures to rubbles. In both cases,
the government of Lagos State states unequivocally that, “Our
intervention is a strategic one, to upgrade the quality of life.” But
the affected communities are as bemused as they are traumatised. The
refrain on every lip is “We voted for this government. Is this what we
will get in return?” There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth among
the landlords and residents who are saying with one bitter voice,
“Fashola has finished us.”
The saying: “It is easier to destroy than to build” cannot be more
apt. What took over a decade to build in Itun Omo Estate in Odoragushin
Community of Eredo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, was
reduced to rubbles in less than eight hours. The once lively community
was reduced to ground zero. No fewer than 100 buildings were felled by
rumbling and rampaging bulldozers of the Lagos State Government.
Expectedly, the landlords and residents did not find the fate that
befell their community funny.
The landlords claimed to have lawfully acquired the parcels of the
land on which their buildings were erected. Government, on the other
hand, has a different story. The land on which the community sprang up
was marked as an industrial area in the master plan of Lagos State.
Until now, the landlords and residents of Itun Omo Estate had lived
happily.
Some of the mansions that dotted the estate could be compared to what
is found in the highbrow areas like Banana Island, Victoria Garden City
and other choice areas anywhere in Lagos and Abuja.
But their happiness vanished within a twinkle of an eye. Before their
very eyes, their sources of joy faded away as they helplessly watched
bulldozers pulling down their palatial homes one after the other. Many
could not hold back tears.
Others who could not control their emotion fainted, seeing their once
magnificence abodes crumbling. Those who could summon up courage
managed to evacuate few of their properties from the buildings before
they were completely brought down. They never had any premonition of
being in the unenviable position of worrying about where to sleep, being
proud owners of befitting homes. But today, they are confronted with
the reality seeking shelter anywhere.
Many of the bulldozed buildings, some completed and others in
progress, boldly bore their approved plan numbers, conspicuously written
on them. But government insists these approvals were fraudulently
acquired from town planning officials.
As early 8 am, a combined team of officials of the Ministry of
Physical Planning and Urban Development and the Lagos State Taskforce on
Environment and Special Offence Unit had stormed the community to
enforce the demolition order.
Some of the residents who had left home before the arrival of
government’s agents had to rush back home from their work places. Others
said they travelled from as far as Ajah and Ogun State and other
neighbouring towns to evacuate their properties. On sighting the
bulldozers, some of them jumped on the roofs and hurriedly removed them,
either to use them to roof new buildings or to sell them off to recoup
some of their losses.
Some were too confused to take any purposeful decisions. They just
sat there totally confused on the next line of action. One of the
evicted landlords told our correspondent that properties worth hundreds
of millions of Naira were destroyed by government
.Mr Omosheni Tajudeen Debowale, one of the affected landlords told
Saturday Mirror that he purchased the land on which he erected his dream
home from one Alhaji Ashafa, who is popularly known as Oloye, in 2004
but built his five-bedroom bungalow in 2007.
With tears streaming down his face, he said, “I obtained all my
papers validly from the government. When they began threatening us, we
went to Alausa to have a meeting with them but we were told the
Permanent Secretary of the Land Bureau was not around. They reschedule
the meeting for March 13. But today, March 5, they are demolishing our
houses.
“They brought a white man to measure my land before this latest
action. It is sad that with my children and aged parents, I have been
chased out of the building I laboured to build so as to have a decent
life. It is painfully regrettable”.
The level 14 officer of Ibeju Lekki Local Government Education
Authority added that, “I sought information about the land before
commencing work on it. I went to the Office of the Surveyor General. I
charted the land and was told the land is free from government
acquisition and revocation.”
Valuing his demolished house, Adebowale said, “As at 2008, it was
worth about 6.7 million. I spent my life savings to build a decent life
for myself after all my years of labour. There really is something fishy
going on here. The chart the government brought was different from the
original chart.
Another affected resident said, “Where does government want us to
start from? People have taken loans to build these houses, and in a
twinkle of an eye, the houses are pulled down. Ah! This is wickedness!”
Mr Taiwo Quadri, who had barely completed his four- bedroom bungalow
when the bulldozers came in described the development as a great setback
for him. “Everyone knows what it takes to build a house in this harsh
economic condition. If one now struggles to build it and this happens,
where and when does one start again? It is painful, sad depressing”.
A top official of the government, who craved anonymity, spoke to
Saturday Mirror at the demolition site said that the land where the
structures were erected was wrongly acquired. He said the building
owners used what he termed ‘fly co-ordinate’ to fraudulently, obtain
their purported building approvals. He said, “They must have been
swindled to acquire the land in the first place. Both the left and right
side of the town are designed to be an industrial scheme.
That is why government always educates residents on radio to seek
information when acquiring land.” Speaking with Saturday Mirror, the
taskforce boss, ASP Bayo Sulaimon who led the demolition exercise said
government would not sacrifice the land for the selfish interests of
some individuals at the expense of the larger public, adding that the
place is meant for an industrial area that will serve the rest of
Lagosians. According to him, if the industries are established, the
community and other people living in the area will also benefit through
employment opportunities inherent in the project.
He said, “Before commenting on the demolition of their buildings, I
think the question we should ask is: How did they come here in the first
place? The place has been earmarked for a project and apart from that,
they built without approvals and government cannot allow individual
interest to override public interest.
“They ‘fly co-ordinate,’ by taking the chart of a location that is
free of government acquisition to dubiously get building approval. It is
like taking the survey of Oregun in Ikeja to seek building approval
from government in Alausa in the same Ikeja. “To those who are building
on government land, thinking that nothing will happen, government will
rise up and take action one day. This is also a message for both land
grabbers and unsuspecting buyers” On the allegation of short notice,
Sulaimon said that he had been to the place more than four times, adding
that the last time government officials came to the community, they
were chased away with charms and other weapons.
“We have been on this matter for a very long time; they are only
being economical with the truth. I have been here more than four times.
They build on government land to whip up sentiment; they were probably
cajoled by these miscreants called ‘Omo Onile’ to quickly build on
government land, thinking that once the structures are erected, nothing
will happen again. That is the strategy used by miscreants that are
selling government land to unsuspecting members of the public. People
should seek information from government on any land before paying or
building on the land. If they have genuine Certificate of Ownership
before the acquisition by the government, they will be duly
compensated.”
Meanwhile, independent investigations by Saturday Mirror revealed
that the land was meant for LAGBUS factories, where Macopollo, the
official manufacturers of LAGBUS buses will assemble them. It was
gathered that the LAGBUS boss and other foreign experts from the
Marcopollo head office had visited the community several times in
preparation for the establishment of the planned worldclass factory. The
tears are flowing even more freely in Ijora Badia, one of the slum
communities in Lagos State where the situation seems more pathetic.
Located in Apapa Iganmu Local Council Development Area,(LCDA) Ijora
Badia is a shanty town and those who are affected by the demolition
exercise are already at the very bottom of the societal ladder where
life is an endless struggle to make ends meet. Olori Edaema, one of
those affected by the demolition, spoke to Saturday Mirror. “The
demolition affected me badly. The worst thing is that we were not aware
that the caterpillar was coming to do this to us. I lost my properties.
I only manage to rescue few things and before I knew it, the
caterpillar had scattered everything. We are all Nigerians. We are not
foreigners. I have gone to the governor’s office to register my
complaint. We are human beings but we have been treated like fowls and
goats. All fingers are not equal that is why you see some people living
in this kind of place. We all cannot live in big houses as the
government people are living. But the poor people are also human beings
like them.
I am begging Fashola to have pity on the poor people. And if he does
not want poor people in Lagos, he should dig the ground and bury all the
poor people. That option would be better than what has happened to us
now,” she wailed “Some people who went to night duty returned home only
to see that all they have in this Lagos had been scattered. It is not
good at all.”
Also speaking with Saturday Mirror, Ayo Olawande who is nursing a
onemonth- old baby lamented the unsafe condition her baby has been
exposed to as a result of the demolition.
She said, “Since our house was demolished, we have been staying here
under the shade. Just look at my baby, she is just a month old but look
at mosquito bites all over her. Just look at rashes all over her body.
Is this what a good government should do to innocent babies? I don’t
know what to do to save me and my family from the situation we are now
in.
We just hope and pray that God would come to our rescue. It is not
fair at all. The government should find alternative for us because so
many things has happened to me. I lost all my properties during the
demolition.
Since I have no place to hide my head, I lost my job because I could
not settle down to prepare for work. It has been one problem or the
other since the government pulled down our houses. How would I take care
of my baby? Where would I bring the money to rent a house and cater for
our wellbeing?” she wondered.
Another nursing mother, Joke Oyinlonyi said that she and her baby
have been sleeping in the open since the bulldozers razed down the
structures they called their homes, rendering them homeless. “We have
been sleeping outside since this demolition took place.
Things have not been easy at all with us. My baby is not even doing
well. It is not a good thing to expose little babies like this to sun,
rain and dirty environment like this. The government should please help
us and provide us with shelter.
They should not leave us like this. No house, no food, nothing. We
are just living as if we are animals or goats. It is not supposed to be
like this. They did not even inform us to evacuate our personal effects
before the demolition. Since the unfortunate incident,
I have been wearing just this one shirt. It is not good for a nursing
mother at all. I was not at home when the bulldozers destroyed this
place. For the sake of these little babies, innocent children, they
should try and get us a place to stay,” she pleaded. Esther Emmanuel, a
septuagenarian, was an Ijora-Badia landlady before the demolition
exercise.
She said the exercise ‘broke the tree on which her entire family
leaned,” while wondering “where will I go from here”. She said, “I had
two structures on this land and as you can see, none of them is still
standing. They have both been demolished. I am now stranded. I don’t
have anywhere to go. I don’t have who to run to for survival. I have
been left here in the cold, in the sun, day and night with nothing to
cover my head. “Where do you think that I have been sleeping?
I have been living like this since they demolished my two houses. If
the government that has everything in their power cannot help me, who
else do you think can? I have been living here like this. If I want to
sleep, I sleep here. If I want to eat, I eat here. I do everything a
human being should do right here in the open.” Asked if she had a prior
knowledge of the demolition exercise, she claimed ignorance.
“I was not aware that bulldozers were coming to clear our houses.
Maybe other people were aware but for me, I was not. Nobody told me of
anything. I was woken up by the noise of neighbours when the demolition
started, as people were shouting “caterpillar, caterpillar.” It was very
early in the morning and as I heard “caterpillar, caterpillar,” I ran
out and discovered that houses were being demolished. I saw police and
soldiers everywhere. I was not so scared because it has happened before.
“Immediately I saw the bulldozers bring down other people’s structures,
I woke up my children and we started parking our loads out. Although I
did not salvage all, I managed to take the im- portant things out
before the caterpillar reached my structures.
The caterpillar did not destroy my personal effects but it brought
down my houses. And that is why I am lying down here a sad woman. I had a
10-room structure here. I occupied a room and parlour, while the other
eight rooms were let out. My survival majorly depended on the eight
rooms I rented out. My tenants were paying N1,500 per month on each
room. I was also selling soft drinks and small-small things (smallscale
provisions) to complement the rent I was being paid from the rooms.
But how I would survive now, I don’t know. I look up to God. Only God
can help us. God can change the governor’s heart and he would provide
us accommodation for the time being before the land issue is settled. My
means of living is now gone. I have not eaten since morning,” Madam
Esther lamented. “As I am here now, I don’t know anything again. I don’t
know what to do next. I am confused. Look at my legs, look at me.
Mosquitoes and other blood sucking insects are feeding on me. I could
not even take my bath this morning. I have cried, cried and cried and I
am tired of crying. Can’t you see how I am resting hopelessly here? Do
you still need to know how I feel right inside of me? It is a feeling of
agony.”
Also speaking, Durojaiye Effuru, a neighbour who was on a condolence
visit to Madam Esther Emmanuel said, “Those of us living across the big
gutter were not affected by this exercise. I am here to sympathize with
Mama Esther. Since this demolition took place, we have been living in
fear. We don’t know what is on the mind of the government. They have the
power and the means and could move in anytime. We are therefore living
in fear by the day. This kind of thing has happened here before not once
or twice. This one, they took us by surprise as there was no notice
given to us.
“If there is a way, the government should put a concrete plans on
ground and ensure that the people here are compensated accordingly and
settled down instead of this intermittent demolition and unsettling of
the people.” Effuru and many others are probably unaware of the fact
that the Lagos State Government plans to build a low cost housing estate
on the contentious land. While commenting on the demolition exercise,
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, had said, “Let me say for the
Ijora Scheme that our intervention is a strategic one, to upgrade the
quality of life there.
It is about a kilometre to the Orile and Costain train stations and
we intend to accommodate the present occupiers in new units in addition
to other people who will desire to live there.” When Effuru was informed
of the governor’s plan for the new Ijora-Badia, he simply asked, “What
would be the benefits of the new housing estate to those who have been
living here for so many years?” And even if the government wants to
start the building of the low cost housing units immediately, they would
have informed us earlier so that we could relocate and make appropriate
adjustments.
But the bulldozers camped around this area on Friday and very early
on Saturday morning, they gave us this sad weekend gift. Where they
started the demolition, the occupants could not rescue any of their
possessions. The police were everywhere and anybody who dared to
challenge the demolition was arrested. Some people were arrested and
later released. If they want to relocate us, they should do so. If they
don’t want, they should let us know instead of this constant
embarrassment. Look at how they have left the people in the open,
exposed to all kinds of things.
“They say the occupants of the land illegally took possession of it.
Do they know the history of this place? The people that occupied this
land originally were fisher men. So most of those laying claim to the
land now are children of the fishermen. The first occupants were
relocated to this parcel of land by the Federal Government during the
regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo between 1974 and 1975 when the
National Theatre, Iganmu was to be built.”
On her part, the septuagenarian landlady, Madam Esther Emmanuel, said
“I have been living here before Shagari came into power. That was in
the good old days. Life was sweet at that time. Who could ever imagine
that life would become very bad and sad as it is now? Things have
generally become worse and it seems to be getting worse by the day. Who
would ever have imagined that government would treat the people it is
supposed to care for this way? Life in those days was very sweet. It is
not as bitter as it is now. That I am sitting in the sun, is it not bad?
It is bad ooo!
That I have not eaten since morning, is life not bad? It is bad ooo!
Ahhh!” the septuagenarian wailed. “But I believe that things will be
better in the future. Things must change. Things will not remain this
way for ever. The good old days must come again for our children’s
children. Things cannot continue this way. God forbid.”
Another victim, Esther Daniels, who spoke with Saturday Mirror said,
“My children cannot go to school because of this demolition. It has
finished my family. Look at my boys there sleeping on the ground when
they are supposed to be in school.
Is this a good life? Is this the kind of life we should give these
children? I cannot just cry for these children. I have four children and
they are all stranded here. Fashola should please help us out of this
mess. The bulldozer came with heavily armed police men and we did not
have the courage to evacuate our properties from the house as we were
ordered out. If they cannot even help us, let them ensure that our
children have a good life. Let our children go back to school.
We are begging. No where to stay. No money. Just look at us. I could
not rescue anything from the house and we are just stranded. We are
pleading with the government, they should help us. My husband’s father
founded this area.
They were fishermen and stocked their fish around this area in those
days. The government should please help us as we are all stranded. We
voted for Fashola and this is not the way to pay us back. We at Oke
Luori voted en-masse for this governor.
This area has been an ACN area and I don’t think this is how to pay
faithful and loyal servants. We deserve better things. That is what we
are begging the government for.” Meanwhile, Saturday Mirror
investigations reveal that the occupants of the land were given notice
to quit by the then Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and
Housing, Lands Division, Mr. O.A Dosunmu, as far back as 1973.
The notice states in part: “Further to notice No. E43/35/T/19 of
March 13, 1973 wherein you were requested to vacate this parcel of land
on or before the 27th day of March 1973, you are hereby warned that
unless you remove your fixtures from this land on or before the 23rd day
of June 1973, the Federal Military Government shall effect their
removal without any further notice to you and shall not be held
responsible for any breakage, loss etc.”
Curiously, the Baale of Iganmu Alawo, Chief Lucas Owoseni, who
confirmed that there was indeed a quit notice before the demolition,
said that the notice was too short for the occupants to relocate The
Ojora of Ijora land, Oba Fatai Oyeyinka Ojora has declared the support
of the Ojora Chieftaincy family for the plans of the state government to
develop a Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme on the wide expanse of land in
Iganmu Alawo in Ijora.
Addressing a press conference at his palace on the issue, the monarch
said the present state of facilities in the area is not conducive for
human existence, explaining that the area has become a nuisance. The
Ojora said that some eight to ten years ago, the former administration
in the state demolished the shanties that were in the area but that the
structures returned after some time.
The Oba appealed to the residents of Iganmu Alawo to cooperate with
the State Government on the proposed housing project, adding that it
would be of immense benefit to the whole community and the state. He
also said that the fate of those displaced by the demolition would be
determined by the State Government after it must have held consultative
meetings with stakeholders including the land owners and the tenants.
According to the spokesperson of the Ojora Chieftaincy Family, Prince
Obafemi Bashua, the present occupants of Iganmu Alawo are the tenants
of the Ojora Chieftaincy Family who are the original owners of the land.
Prince Bashua stated that the land was never sold to them but that they
are occupying it on leasehold which is the tradition with all land
owned by the Ojora Chieftaincy Family.
And anytime the government requests to make use of the land in the
overriding public interest, the government’s request would be considered
on its merit. The decision of the Ojora family to support the
government in its quest to make use of the land is therefore borne out
of the belief that it is going to benefit the entire citizenry.
Shedding more light on the proposed development in the Iganmu Alawo
community, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Mr.
Olusoga Odunlami said the land belonged originally to the Ojora Family
and was released to the Federal Government to construct the Railways.
The Permanent Secretary added that the remainder of the land that was
not used by the Railways was what was latched on to by the people who
chose to settle on the land, which has reverted to the family after it
was not utilised by the Federal Government.
According to the Permanent Secretary, after the demolition exercise,
the land would be used to construct a Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme
that would be available to low income earners and also provide
opportunity of mortgage to the allottees.
TalkOfNaija
The
nation’s statesmen spoke in Shagari town on Friday when Minister of
Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu paid him a courtesy visit.