Recent demolition exercises in Makoko and surrounding Lagos communities have displaced thousands of residents and forced over 1,000 children out of school, according to community leaders and school owners.
Recent demolition exercises in parts of Lagos State, particularly Makoko, Ekun-Agbo and Shogunro communities, have rendered thousands of residents homeless and disrupted the education of more than 1,000 children, according to community leaders and private school proprietors. The area, already underserved in terms of educational facilities, has seen a sharp decline in school attendance as families relocate or struggle with displacement. A school owner who preferred anonymity said, “The demolition exercises in Makoko, Ekun-Agbo and Shogunro communities have forced over 1,000 children to stop school. As I am speaking with you, only 50 out of over 500 in my school resumed. This is because many have relocated, many are homeless now, with many abandoning school due to the trauma of the demolitions.”
Although tensions surrounding the demolition of homes and properties in the Makoko waterfront community and its environs appear to be easing, residents say the long-term impact—especially on schoolchildren—may linger. Another school owner, who also requested anonymity, lamented the situation, saying, “Our children may not come back to class again,” noting that beyond the trauma, many families have fled the area while some are reportedly sleeping on canoes on the lagoon with their children.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly has directed that all demolition activities in the affected communities be halted. At a stakeholders’ meeting in Alausa, Ikeja, the Chairman of the ad-hoc committee set up by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, Hon. Noheem Adams, announced the resolution. Reading from the committee’s decision, Adams said: “On behalf of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, and all the 40 members of the House, we are directing that all ministries should stop work on all demolitions. I repeat, all demolitions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities should stop from today until further notice. We also want to see the list of the task force that was constituted because we want residents to be duly involved and carried along. There should be a clear schedule and criteria for those involved.”
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