by Alexander O. Onukwue

German media organisation, DW, describes it this way “Lagos is growing at breakneck speed. Nigeria’s government is keen to attract the investment needed to modernize the city. But to accomplish this, they’re pushing out the city’s poor”

The decision by a Lagos court on Wednesday declaring the sack of the members of Otodo Gbame community as unconstitutional would have been discomforting to the powers at Alausa. With its sights set on becoming one of the 100 Resilient Cities, the Government of Lagos has taken the approach of demolishing unsightly settlements around the metropolis to project itself as being at par with other top cities in the world.

In some respect, the Government has initiated initiatives in the ‘second-class’ parts of Lagos that would add to this goal of becoming a true mega city, the Interchange at Oshodi being an example. However, the massive underlying problems of poor infrastructure and vast inequalities have continued to ravage the city, making it difficult for the poor to even be able to manage subsistence.

The lofty aims of the State to attain a respectable status amongst the roll of global cities are companies are commendable but why should it have to be at the expense of the urban poor? Do they not have the right to live and strive for their own lives according to their means? Naturally, those who feel like they want to improve their life status will either eventually move or undertake the means to upgrade their abilities to meet up to the requirements of living in the Big cities. But to forcefully ask them to leave is just wrong.

The congestion in Lagos is a problem, but rather than push people out of it, the right route should be to, in the words of Pat Utomi at the Platform speech in 2014, “attract people away from Lagos”.

Editor