Residents, rights group condemn demolition of Makoko

A human rights group and residents of Makoko on Wednesday, described as unlawful the 72-hour notice given house owners before the commencement of the ongoing demolition of houses in the coastal settlement of Lagos.The Executive Director, Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC), Mr Felix Morka, told newsmen in Makoko, Lagos, that the eviction notice was 'wrong and a total violation of the rule of law'.Morka said that although SERAC had previously enlightened Makoko residents on the danger of building houses in unauthorised areas, giving homeowners such a short notice was unkind.``We condemn the action taken by the Lagos State Ministry of Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, it was done without proper notice.'Giving people 72 hours to vacate their homes, under any circumstance, is difficult and shows lack of understanding,' the SERAC scribe told NAN.He, however, called for total restructuring of the community with a view to generating revenue and turning the community into a tourist centre.``Half of the fish that is eaten in Lagos is produced in this community, so we can make Makoko a revenue-generating place by investing here and making it a place where tourists can always visit,'' he said.Mr John Maotin, a Makoko community leader, said that house owners in the area, on July 12, received their first eviction order which stated that the community would be used for social amenities. According to Maotin, the notice stated that 'every owner, occupier, resident of Makoko, Iwaya Sokoro waterfront and water bodies should quit within 72 hours'. He added that for the fishing community of about one million population, there was no alternative place where they could ply their trade.``Our population is high, we are fishermen and there is no other place we can go to perform our work.'We live and work on the water, we contribute largely to the development of Lagos and the nation, so we plead with the government to allow us to stay here,'' said the Makoko resident.It was reported that the demolition and eviction are continuing.Lagos State commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr Adesegun Oniru, said the government demolished the shanties to protect the environment as well as the lives of their occupants. Oniru added that the rise in the water level and persistent thunder storm occasioned by climate change could result in the needless loss of lives in the area.
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