With a population estimated at around seventy to eighty five thousand (70,000 – 85,000) people by various sources, the makoko commune has “being” in existence for over sixty years. I put being in quotations because, depending on what happens, being can become been! Relegated to the past and nonexistent is what would become of this Lagos community – parts of it, parts outside the boundary that is home to at least thirty thousand (30,000) people who have now been displaced.
I cannot claim to be an expert on the issue but, I have being watching (through the internet) events unfold, add that to the fact that I reside close to this community and share rides in buses everyday with members of this commune – schoolchildren clutching notebooks and pencils, women with baskets of fish; smoked, dry and fresh, on their way to the market…I have and would express my right to comment, in so many words.
Makoko is majorly a fishing village, most of it buildings resting on stilts above the Lagos lagoon. The micro economy has survived mostly on fishing and the trade of basic staples, self governing without much interference from government. That is until sometime in 2005, when an evacuation of sorts took place leading to three thousand (3,000) homeless, and again, this moment. The demolition started on the 16th of July, 2012, after giving the settlers a seventy two (72) hour eviction notice.
The government of Lagos claims the ongoing evacuation is done out of the need to protect the people of the community and the state, saying it has become necessary to halt the continuous expansion of the community into the Lagos lagoon with its negative impact on the environment - piling saw dust on the lagoon, discharging wastes in it have caused the lagoon to shrink and also blocked the discharge points for storm water, thereby contributing to the flooding in places like Bariga, Shomolu, Ebute-Metta, Ajegunle and Ikorodu etc. areas of Lagos state.
Following several meetings with leaders of the community and an agreed boundary set, the state government has been working to find solutions to the difficulties the indigenous residents encounter by way of providing basic infrastructure and amenities. But, rather than maintain the established boundary, what has happened over the years is a growth of illegal shanties which have expanded towards the Third Mainland Bridge and underneath the high tension electricity cables across the area.
Claims abound from certain circles that the government is just on a quest to continue the development and beautification of the state, making it appealing for Nigerian businesspeople, tourists and foreign investors. These claims are quite justifiable as a look at government policy and around the state would show, how true they are is what the issue is. Chances are, it is just the work of certain people, like the government alleges, who are taking grants from concerned agencies with false claims of helping the people and community.
So, while the government is in the process of being sued by Felix Morka, the Executive Director of the Social and Economic Rights Centre (SERAC), who doubles as the community's counsel, I sincerely hope it is keeping true to its word by providing the community needed amenities like it has promised. Because, truly, something needed to be done about the community, its condition and inhabitants. It is an “environmental nuisance”, to use the words as contained in the written eviction notice.
The government can also go a step further by providing accommodation for its citizens; these displaced individuals, as soon as possible, temporary if need be till they find their footing. While it is hard to start over, I believe they have what it takes to stand on their own again. Didn’t they build the Makoko community by their selves? All they need is a little support from their government. Better still, like it’s doing with the Eko Atlantic, the government can be innovative and copy the Dutch models for sustainable and eco-friendly water accommodations.
Also, while the government is on its environmental march, I’ll humbly recommend they pass through Lekki, Victoria Island, Ajah, Ibeju etc. as these island areas certainly face more and certain danger from flooding. Shanties also exist in these areas, as environmental nuisances. Now, while they may not be a major cause of floods, they definitely play a role. Appropriate action should be taken lest it be said the government picks on the poor and is a friend to the rich. The secret to these things is to be impartial and diplomatic, a win win situation for everyone, finding that thin line called balance and walking it.
Sources
www.makokoaslum.blogspot.com
www.ibtimes.com
www.dailytimesng.com
Business Day Nigeria
I cannot claim to be an expert on the issue but, I have being watching (through the internet) events unfold, add that to the fact that I reside close to this community and share rides in buses everyday with members of this commune – schoolchildren clutching notebooks and pencils, women with baskets of fish; smoked, dry and fresh, on their way to the market…I have and would express my right to comment, in so many words.
Makoko is majorly a fishing village, most of it buildings resting on stilts above the Lagos lagoon. The micro economy has survived mostly on fishing and the trade of basic staples, self governing without much interference from government. That is until sometime in 2005, when an evacuation of sorts took place leading to three thousand (3,000) homeless, and again, this moment. The demolition started on the 16th of July, 2012, after giving the settlers a seventy two (72) hour eviction notice.
The government of Lagos claims the ongoing evacuation is done out of the need to protect the people of the community and the state, saying it has become necessary to halt the continuous expansion of the community into the Lagos lagoon with its negative impact on the environment - piling saw dust on the lagoon, discharging wastes in it have caused the lagoon to shrink and also blocked the discharge points for storm water, thereby contributing to the flooding in places like Bariga, Shomolu, Ebute-Metta, Ajegunle and Ikorodu etc. areas of Lagos state.
Following several meetings with leaders of the community and an agreed boundary set, the state government has been working to find solutions to the difficulties the indigenous residents encounter by way of providing basic infrastructure and amenities. But, rather than maintain the established boundary, what has happened over the years is a growth of illegal shanties which have expanded towards the Third Mainland Bridge and underneath the high tension electricity cables across the area.
Claims abound from certain circles that the government is just on a quest to continue the development and beautification of the state, making it appealing for Nigerian businesspeople, tourists and foreign investors. These claims are quite justifiable as a look at government policy and around the state would show, how true they are is what the issue is. Chances are, it is just the work of certain people, like the government alleges, who are taking grants from concerned agencies with false claims of helping the people and community.
So, while the government is in the process of being sued by Felix Morka, the Executive Director of the Social and Economic Rights Centre (SERAC), who doubles as the community's counsel, I sincerely hope it is keeping true to its word by providing the community needed amenities like it has promised. Because, truly, something needed to be done about the community, its condition and inhabitants. It is an “environmental nuisance”, to use the words as contained in the written eviction notice.
The government can also go a step further by providing accommodation for its citizens; these displaced individuals, as soon as possible, temporary if need be till they find their footing. While it is hard to start over, I believe they have what it takes to stand on their own again. Didn’t they build the Makoko community by their selves? All they need is a little support from their government. Better still, like it’s doing with the Eko Atlantic, the government can be innovative and copy the Dutch models for sustainable and eco-friendly water accommodations.
Also, while the government is on its environmental march, I’ll humbly recommend they pass through Lekki, Victoria Island, Ajah, Ibeju etc. as these island areas certainly face more and certain danger from flooding. Shanties also exist in these areas, as environmental nuisances. Now, while they may not be a major cause of floods, they definitely play a role. Appropriate action should be taken lest it be said the government picks on the poor and is a friend to the rich. The secret to these things is to be impartial and diplomatic, a win win situation for everyone, finding that thin line called balance and walking it.
Sources
www.makokoaslum.blogspot.com
www.ibtimes.com
www.dailytimesng.com
Business Day Nigeria
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