Demolition At Makoko: Residents Of Historic Waterfront Community Protest To Governor Fashola Of Lagos

The Egun Community, which lives on the Lagos lagoon that is currently being demolished by the State Government, today trooped out to the Governor’s office at Alausa to protest their displacement and the demolition of their wooden shacks on the Makoko stilt.

Addressing the community, Governor Babatunde Fashola said that some individuals, whom he did not identify, are benefiting from the sufferings of the residents as they live on the water, and are receiving grants from international charities and funding bodies.

He told the age long water-float residents that occupants of the demolished areas on water are largely people from Cameroun, Republic of Benin and Togo.

The Governor, after condoling with the Baale, Steven Ajih, over the killing by a policeman of his Assistant Timothy Azinpono two days ago, did not say what his administration is doing to bring the killer policeman to book, but he opened his doors to a conversation with the Baale on the boundaries of the demolition exercise on the waterfront.

The demolition began on the ancient Makoko waterfront last Monday, after officials of the Lagos State Government and men of Kick Against Indiscipline had issued a 72 hours’ notice to the
residents.  Aside from the use of milling machines, they also used fire to destroy some of the structures.

A protest broke out on Saturday when the demolition squad extended their activities beyond the portions previously marked for the action.  That was when Azinpono, the Assistant to the Baale, was abruptly shot by a policeman and killed.