[The Injustice Blog] Lagos waterfront communities in the eye of the storm

In Lagos, waterfront communities were the earliest form of habitation for Lagosians centuries, a situation which exists till date.

The community is majorly made up of fishermen due to their closeness with the Atlantic Ocean. Some build their houses on water and others alongside the water. Waterfront communities in Lagos are found across all major districts of the state, from Badagry, Eti-osa, Bariga among others.

The advent of modernisation has posed a threat to the continuous existence of these communities. Successive governments in Lagos have seen the communities as an impediment to the actualisation of the “megacity” plan for the state.

But the government in its approach to achieve its plan has inflicted more harm to the communities. From Maroko, Makoko, Ilubinrin, Otodo-Gbame, Ago-Egun among others – its all tales of sorrows, tears and blood (borrowing the words of music legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti). The communities have been destroyed with thousands displaced without any provision for relocation.

The demolition itself has been carried out in a cruel manner as lives have been lost due to the actions of trigger-happy policemen deployed to “monitor” the situation.

The Lagos state government once touted the idea of a slum development programme which will develop the waterfront communities to be at par with others existing in developed countries of the world but it wasn’t implemented. Rather the communities were demolished.

A major part of Lagos history is being erased with the constant demolition and displacement of waterfront communities. The government must resolve to develop these communities while it continues with its plan for a megacity.

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