Don’t relocate Adeniji-Adele residents without appropriate arrangements, Group urges Sanwo-Olu

A group of Lagos State indigene, under the aegis of De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, has called Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to tarry a while in his plan to relocate people of Adeniji-Adele Housing Scheme on Lagos Island in the name of reconstruction without appropriate arrangements.

The group made the call on a letter titled: “The relocation and reconstruction of Lagos Island community,” written and signed by its president, Prince Adelani Adeniji-Adele and Secretary General, Mr. Yomi Tokosi, respectively, expressing concerns, which it said was informed by past experiences where such government policies had led to displacement of indigenes from their ancestral land without anywhere to go to.

In particular, the group said its response was borne out of the recent statements credited to the Special Adviser (SA) on E-GIS, Dr. Olatunji Babajide “On your decisions in various regards, the most important is your decision to move and relocate residents of Adeniji Adele Housing Scheme as you deem appropriate.”

“We believe that most of those that will be affected by these actions are indigenes of the state, specifically Lagos State,” it said.

This was just as De Renaissance Patriots Foundation noted that it was not averse to modernization, but wanted a situation where the relocation and reconstruction plan was redesigned as “temporary relocation and reconstruction” plan to mean that, after demolition and reconstruction, the people would be returned to their allocated modernized homes at no cost whatsoever.

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“We want to know how and where you are relocating the people to and the nature of the relocation you plan to do. Otherwise, many indigenes are seeing what you are doing as an effort to displace them from their land whereas they have no other place to go.

“In view of the above, De Renaissance Patriots Foundation resolved to inform you that nobody should relocate anybody until there is a place to take them to, which must be on a temporary relocation basis within Lagos Island and then in the end, ensure that the temporarily relocated people are truly returned to the newly reconstructed properties,” the indigenous Lagosians stated.

“As an advocacy group, our concern is piqued to ensure that this will not be another avenue to effect dramatic changes that will, in effect, see indigenes displaced and become minorities in this area.

“Therefore, it will be in the interest of the state government and all indigenous groups, most especially De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, to be involved in this exercise and to make the exercise as transparent as possible,” the group added.

Speaking further, De Renaissance, noted the reason of Adeniji-Adele Housing Scheme being in waterlogged area, occasioning the relocation as contained in the release issued by Dr. Babajide, saying such decision called for the need on its part “to look at the larger picture of things in the Lagos Island area.”

The group, while noting of the popular African adage that land is as important to man as it is to trees and so also the meanings “our songs,” quickly recalled a particular one waxed by the late popular Fuji maestro, Alhaji Ayinde Barrister “in his days when he sang: ‘Oyinbo wo Oluwole Eko o wi nkan. Won feso won gba Marina. Won lawon ma wo Isale Eko. Won se bi kurumo ni wa.'”

De Renaissance argued that the reference of waterlogging as reason for the planned move on the part of the government was worrisome, saying that to everyone’s knowledge, this had been a big issue in Lagos Island and, therefore, would “want to know what is exactly wrong with our drainage system in Lagos Island especially in areas of ldunmagbo and surrounding areas.”

“In our discourse so far, the reference of waterlogging by your side is worrisome in the following: 1. We know for a fact that flooding and waterlogging is a big issue in Lagos Island and we further want to know what is exactly wrong with our drainage system in Lagos Island especially in areas of ldunmagbo and surrounding areas.

“It will also be nice to know the effects of the Ilubirin Housing Estates and the dredging arising therefrom. A look at the Impact Assessment Report will be beneficial to our people.

“In the same vein, we ask the state government to inform the public what its intention is about the fact that Lagos Island is now under the sea level. Meaning Lagos is sinking, a lot of it has to do with indiscriminate dredging.

“Since development of Ilubirin is the effect on the drainage system of Lagos Island, it is safe to inform Your Excellency that bringing the issue of waterlogging by your government as reason adduced for carrying out this requires a clarification. 5. Is becoming KURUNMO getting real?

“We want to know how and where you are relocating the people to and the nature of the relocation you plan to do. Otherwise, many indigenes are seeing what you are doing as an effort to displace them from their land whereas they have no other place to go,” the letter read.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE