By Bilesanmi Abayomi
Concerned stakeholders in Kosofe Local Government Area have reacted strongly to a viral video titled “Makoko Demolition: Lagos Targeting Better Life for Residents, Says Gov Sanwo-Olu,” expressing deep reservations about the Lagos State Government’s approach to waterfront demolitions.
The reactions, shared with KosofePost over the weekend, come amid growing criticism from human rights organisations, which have condemned what they describe as indiscriminate demolitions across Lagos, allegedly carried out without adequate resettlement plans for displaced residents and in defiance of existing court orders.
Speaking on the issue, Omoba Awofeso Rasheed Ololade questioned the government’s assertion that the demolitions are intended to improve the lives of residents.
“Yes, the governor talked about a better life for residents, but what concrete arrangements are in place for those displaced?” Ololade asked. “It is obvious that such plans are not for the original residents but for a new crop of elites. Government policies must have a human face, not a suffocating one. Welfarism is clearly missing in our society.”
Other stakeholders also criticised Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for what they described as silence over the demolition exercise in Oworonshoki, despite public outrage and reports of residents losing their homes, businesses, and sources of livelihood.
A political commentator and community advocate, Ganiyu Olamiji Oyebanjo (GOCO), noted that the governor is currently in the final stretch of his second and constitutionally last term, a period he described as a “lame-duck phase.”
“When a governor is no longer seeking re-election, the political calculations change,” Oyebanjo said. “There is less incentive to pause controversial projects like the Makoko and Oworonshoki demolitions for the sake of public approval.”
He suggested that the waterfront demolitions may be part of what the governor perceives as an ‘urban regeneration’ legacy project ahead of the 2027 political transition, even as the social costs borne by affected communities remain severe.
Stakeholders also questioned why similar demolition exercises were not undertaken during the governor’s first term, if they were genuinely motivated by concern for residents’ welfare.
“If Makoko is regarded as a slum, the responsibility of government should be to uplift the people and improve their living conditions, not to destroy their homes and livelihoods,” Oyebanjo said. “Are there concrete relocation plans for the displaced, or are they simply being abandoned?”
As the 2027 political season gradually unfolds, observers say the controversy places potential successors in a difficult position, while affected communities continue to demand transparency, accountability, and humane solutions from the Lagos State Government.