wirinet:
And you know this because?

I knew many people that lived in bar beach and NPA shanty in the late 2000s. There were hardly any known criminal living there. Most people living in these shanties were low income earners like driver's, domestic staff and office workers. Of course there were the ashawos, but armed robbers and hard criminals? No. For your information, the shanties are not free. The residents pay landlords, sometimes exorbitantly.

klufs:
Was the demolition itself legal? You cannot use an illegal action to salvage another illegal action. Only a court can order a legal demolition and if that was not done those people have a remedy. The problem is 99.9 percent of them or Nigerians in general don't know.

wirinet:
You talk like a kid, an ignorant one at that. I have been in Lagos for over 40 years. I watched Lagos develop. When I moved to V/I in 1980, it was relatively undeveloped. We had to take independence bridge to get to where law school is now, there was no Falomo bridge. There was a village between ahmadu bello and the ocean then.
I know many indigenous Lagosians, even most of the traditional ruling families. I personally know the Onirus, the Ojoras, the Oyekans and many others.
Lagos was developed by outsiders not indigenes. Indigenes were/are mostly "omoniles" selling lands to others, who in turn build modern buildings. Of course some also went into property development.

GidiWoodsMan:
Free to live anywhere legally, that's the key phrase. Integrate yourself into the community, get the necessary permits and pay the due taxes on your business activities ...seriously, people like you need to set ethnic sentiments aside and reason properly

Most of those guys are petty hustlers who think they will hit it big in the city, just look at the horrible, disorganised and filthy environment with no sewage system or security (there are a lot of criminals among them you can be sure). They need to be ejected for the greater good of society, let them go back to their villages and farm the land

wirinet:
You people have refused to answer the basic fundamental question;
Where will low income people serving and servicing the high brow V/I, Lekki and Ikoyi axis live?

Sonnyboom:
Many if u went to school but still reason like lunatics so govt should provide alternatives for those staying in another property because your brain is dead. Those staying on the shanty don't know the govt can strike any time.ba ?

xaggar:
You just being a blockhead to what's really going on. You lack a sense of current affairs and I can understand that you are a toddler when it comes to these things (politics).

Do you know the amount of money pumped into the Lagos ports by the federal govt at the detriment of other ports in Nigeria?

You hear of dry ports in kaduna and federal cash spent to make it work but you wonder why a port at a sea shore (warri, onne, pH, Calabar) isn't concentrated on or developed?

You say Abuja is a learner when it comes to Lagos. Lol! My guy just shut up! The sea isn't an infrastructure.

leofab:
you mean they posted their state of origin on top of their shanties or you are just being a tribalist? They are now lagosians who pay their taxes to LSG and their stage state government... the government should provide alternative land for them...

CeterisXVII:

Which tax do they pay? Has anyone of them ever told you, that they have an electronic tax card?

CeterisXVII:

You may be free to live in any state of your choice, but you are NOT free to illegally squat on another person's land.

CeterisXVII:

Oga, stop it. I grew up in Ikoyi and I schooled in Victoria Island. Falomo bridge was built in the late '70s.

CeterisXVII:

Oga, how many cities in the world plan low income settlements next door to high income residential areas? Name them.

The problem is that in Nigeria, there are very poor urban control methods, put in place to prevent such things. The issue is NOT elite bias, but a problem of illegal squatters that has spiraled out of control!

The shanties in those areas spring up, from the development of houses and blocks of flats in those same areas.

Artisans, builders and technicians employed to build those flats, often build shanties on unoccupied land, which they use as their temporary quarters when they are engaged to carry out construction duties or activities, on adjoining plots.

But once those houses or flats are fully built, and their job "contract" ends, these artisans refuse to leave their temporary abode, and instead decide to convert such shanties into their permanent residence, especially if other building activities are still springing up around that area.

They stay there, hoping to find additional work, or ply their skills in those new developments, that are coming up.

The problem usually goes unnoticed, as long as construction works are still going on in that area. But once the construction works end, then the shanties where those artisans live, then stick out like a sore thumb.

The sad thing is that after a while, it is not only the artisans on constructed sites that live there. Other low income people and destitutes join them.

Some of the early settlers even constitute themselves into so-called "landlords," and start collecting rental dues from those who wish to erect shanties, within the same locality.

The occupants of these shanties are not only Nigerians. There is a huge population of other West African nationals from Togo, Cotonou, Cameroon etc, who also live there.

Many of them have no visible means of income, and are often at the mercy of the street wise gangsters within such locations, who are too willing nto exploit them.

You will often see a huge population of unwed teenage mothers, prostitutes, weed sellers, jobless bricklayers, illiterate mallams, agberos, petty gangsters, agbo hawkers etc, all living within these shanties.

They have their own chiefs or 'Baáles' who claim to be the caretakers of the land, and who often extort money from them to settle police, and ministry officials whenever they come there to conduct raids.

The sad thing is the real owners of such lands where these people have constructed their shanties are often powerless to drive them out, because these people refuse to leave, when they are served eviction notices for trespassing on such lands.

We should be asking "why do these people illegally occupy lands that do not belong to them, and refuse to leave?"

Eventually, the land owners have no choice, but to involve the police or security forces, to get them out forcibly, from such occupied places.

Govt cannot just build low cost houses for these illegal squatters (because in reality, that is what they are).

And if those houses are even built, they will never be able to pay for it, because what they earn is too little, to even make adequate payments to cover the cost of such houses.

My church has held several outreaches in some of these areas, and we have interacted with many of them.

When you interview them, they will confess that they came from their villages to work in Lagos, but they ended up spending the wages they earned from their temporary jobs. Or they were robbed of their earnings.

When you ask them if they would like to go back to their villages or countries, if funds are made available, they become hostile and see you as their enemy!

CeterisXVII:

Last time I checked, Onne port was fully developed and fully functional. Stop saying what you do NOT know. Onne is the 2nd highest revenue generating port, after Lagos port!

xaggar:
There's always a second after lagos even if it isn't working. 2nd Highest you say. We aren't talking about rating. In terms of Infrastructure how do you compare both?

wirinet:
London has social housing program that build houses for the poor.

New York through the New York City Housing Authority. They built housing units for the poor sometimes called The projects.

I agree that Nigeria has very poor urban planing before you even start talking about controls.
There is a strong elite bias to governance in Nigeria and it applies to all levels of governments. The government's never consider programs that benefits the poor. Even when they purport to have social programs for the poor, it's either never implemented or poorly implemented. A good example is the health centres. I took my son to one once and the services were very poor and they still charged exorbitantly. I threatened the matron that I will petition them to the Lagos State government. The begged me and gave me half of my money back.
Let me add that the last government that I can remember that did not have an elite bias was the Jakande administration. Jakande build schools and housing for the poor all over Lagos, even on high value lands. He built secondary schools in Osborne, Else Femi Pearse, opposite mobil headquarters in V/I, etc. He built Jakande estates all over Lagos.

I have some cousins that attended Jakande schools and they are very successful members of society today.

I agree with all you wrote. Shanties are a complex mix of all sorts of people. You have criminals, prostitutes and other social miscreants. You also have those who need cheap accommodation closer to their jobs or businesses. Shanties are situated close to very affluent areas because the economy depends on proximity to rich folks.

Haniel18:

Sorry to say but ur reply shows hw insensitive and myopic u are in ur thinking. U are d type dat complained abt those attacks in south Africa but unknown to u ur reply portrays d same tin. We are Nigerias for Christ sake and we should be free to live anywhere in d country in peace and harmony, do u knw hw many yorubas that live in the north, east and south living legally and illegally, trade and better standard of living makes people migrate to different zones for settlement.
If truly their stay there is causing havoc den d government should make an alternative to them.

wirinet:

I also did all my pre tertiary schooling in Ikoyi. Falomo bridge was most probably commissioned in 79 or late 78. The bridge was not there during FESTAC77.

NGpatriot:
The fact that you are Nigerians and you are poor doesn't grant you the right to constitute a nuisance, violate laws and endanger the rest of the society by erecting illegal structures on public land and drainage systems.

When you say the government should provide alternatives, what exactly are you talking about?

Use taxpayers money to provide accommodation for millions of squatters in Lagos state, then turn around and keep building more and more for the thousands and thousands of people that troops into Lagos state every day with no kobo to their name, no family, no place to stay, no job or any means of livelihood?

The same people will go to the internet to copy pictures from Rwanda to tell us how Rwanda is so beautiful and how Nigeria is so dirty when in fact they support and promote the same dirtiness in Nigeria? They can not even obey the laws people obey in Rwanda.

Bagehot:
1. I was referring to Lagos - not the entirety of Nigeria. I think you would find that homelessness is more of an urban problem, and virtually non-existent in most rural parts of Nigeria.
2. Even the Nigeria sef - I still reiterate that it cannot afford to provide housing for every Nigerian. Forget about what has been stolen to date.

Let's assume we are starting from ground zero today - is it the same country that is now struggling financially (with embezzlement still) that can realistically provide housing for all 180m of its people?

Even the wealthiest countries in the world - the United States and the United Kingdom have a huge and growing problem of homelessness, and its now wretched Nigeria that can afford to house all 180m.

ba7man:
The moment the Xenophobic attacks spilled into Lagos and residents in the Lekki/Ajah axis were attacked by miscreants, shanties located in that area were doomed.

Most of these criminals, kidnappers, thieves and thugs live in those shanties and the residents don't feel safe with them around.

ChristineC:
there are as much wealthy settlers in Lekki and VI from "Ajah down to Ibeju".
you obviously don't know Lagos calling yourself Lagosfinder

the basics still remain that town planing is poor in the state or the Lateef Jakande plan is simply not followed and that will inevitably spring shanties and shantytowns even in Ikoyi.

CeterisXVII:

Legal demolition when those people were illegal squatters, that built shanties on somebody else's land??

klufs:
Sorry sir. This is not the position of the law on this issue.

CeterisXVII:

I don't know which law you are quoting. They are trespassers.

klufs:

That cannot be removed without a court order. That is the law I'm quoting and will keep quoting until it changes.
Please consult a lawyer. If you are one already please go and read your law reports on the issue.

CeterisXVII:

Oga, getting a court order to evict illegal squatters is NOTa big deal. So go back to bed....

klufs:

As easy or small as it is, any act done before it is gotten remains illegal and amounts to self help and a person vigilant enough among those affected can sue for damages.
I know you see your ignorance, but pride won't let you learn. Be humble bruv.
I agree it's by bedtime. Bye.

CeterisXVII:

You are the ignorant one. Illegal squatters have been chased away from lands they occupied without the owner's permission, from time immemorial.

When Maroko was demolished in the '80s on the outskirts of Victoria Island, where were you? The squatters were kicked out, alongside the original property owners, the land was sandfilled and shared to the rich. What happened after that? How many years was the case in court? Only those with valid property papers got allocated a small place in Epe, after several years.

The squatters got absolutely nothing....

You are here shouting court order, as if it is a difficult thing to get. You must be a 100 level law student.

Even if those squatters go to court, it will take years to resolve. None of them will be allowed to remain on such a land.

Abeg, commit for road if you don't understand how things work in Lagos.

Illegal squatters are evicted on a weekly basis from places they occupied unlawfully, inside Lekki. Bulldozers demolish their shanties on a regular basis....

And you are here speaking grammar..... nansense!!
Damn! I can see I've gotten you angry enough to show your illiteracy. Well, maybe I'm a 100level law student, maybe not. Maybe you know me, maybe not. That's the beauty of this platform, where people from different poles of IQ and class can talk on a level field.
Who told you even one of those that the places illegally occupied by them did not sue? Have you searched all the courts in Lagos. If the process is slow does it mean it's not possible or it won't have an end even if its 50years? Do you know that it's an action in personae and can be taken over by the estate of the person if he dies. Maybe it's slow and people hardly sue, but it doesn't make it impossible.
Where was I? It was not mine and I don't do ambulance chasing.
I see how things work, but I know it thrives on ignorance, impatience and poverty of means and knowledge like you've just displayed.
Also try to learn and see things beyond how it's done to how it ought to be done. That way you can be alright at last.
Cheers!

klufs:
Damn! I can see I've gotten you angry enough to show your illiteracy. Well, maybe I'm a 100level law student, maybe not. Maybe you know me, maybe not. That's the beauty of this platform, where people from different poles of IQ and class can talk on a level field.
Who told you even one of those that the places illegally occupied by them did not sue? Have you searched all the courts in Lagos. If the process is slow does it mean it's not possible or it won't have an end even if its 50years? Do you know that it's an action in personae and can be taken over by the estate of the person if he dies. Maybe it's slow and people hardly sue, but it doesn't make it impossible.
Where was I? It was not mine and I don't do ambulance chasing.
I see how things work, but I know it thrives on ignorance, impatience and poverty of means and knowledge like you've just displayed.
Also try to learn and see things beyond how it's done to how it ought to be done. That way you can be alright at last.
Cheers!