The shock of massive demolitions that have left many homeless and financially devastated has left residents of Oworonshoki in Lagos State’s Kosofe Local Government Area in shock……CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Hundreds of families have been displaced by the effort, which was overseen by the Lagos State Government. They have also lost their homes, investments, and personal possessions. Mrs. Aderonke Adegor, a 56-year-old public worker, gave one of the most heartbreaking testimony when she described her experience in a Channels TV interview. The senior officer talked about how she gave up everything to construct a cosy house in Oworonshoki, only to have everything destroyed in a couple of hours. “I built this place in Oworonshoki with N10 million that I received from the sale of my own property in Ikorodu. I made use of whatever I owned. It was a well-structured building, and I completed the POP and the tiles. “Now everything is gone,” she stated in a sorrowful tone.Adegor clarified that she has had to take refuge in an unfinished structure near her ruined home ever since the destruction. She acknowledged that although though she is a senior officer on her local government council, she is currently finding it difficult to juggle her personal debt, her official obligations, and the unforeseen hardship of homelessness. “I make excellent use of my pay. My loans are still outstanding. For that matter, I am a senior officer in my local government. But I’m dozing off outside,” she said. Similar tales of anguish were told by other community members. Numerous people asserted that they had complied with government directives by filing paperwork and remodelling their houses to satisfy formal specifications.Their cooperation, however, was unable to stop the bulldozers and security personnel from showing up in the middle of the night. A number of victims said that before the demolitions started, they were not given enough notice or a chance to remove their possessions. For locals, losing their houses suddenly means losing years of hard labour, savings, and family memories in addition to financial disaster. Community life has been thrown into chaos, small businesses have failed, and children have been forced out of their schools.Oluyinka Olumide, the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, defended the demolition operation in the face of growing criticism. He underlined that the buildings demolished were not authorised and did not adhere to the state’s urban planning regulations. He asserts that it is unreasonable to expect the government to reimburse those who built structures on property without the required authorisation. He adamantly said, “These were unauthorised developments,” contending that individual losses must be subordinated to public safety and compliance with planning laws.However, the commissioner’s comments have angered human rights organisations and displaced homeowners, who contend that the government’s handling of the demolition lacked compassion and openness. Human rights activists have emphasised that demolitions should never be carried out without sufficient relocation preparations and called on the state to offer people impacted both immediate help and longer-term rehabilitation. The future is still dark for Mrs. Adegor and many others. She claims that the government she works for has deceived her, leaving her family without a place to live, her only property gone, and her loans unpaid. As she looked at the remains of what had once been her ideal home, she muttered, “I don’t even know where to begin again.”……CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
