Road, rail projects: Lagos to demolish 1,500 buildings

DAYO AYEYEMI and TOLA ADENUBI take a close look at the planned demolition of buildings in Lagos and the implications of the exercise.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, more than 1,500 houses on road and rail projects’ Right of Way (RoW) will be demolished in Lagos.

According to projections by the state government, 800 houses instead of the initial 8,000 identified property will have to give way for the construction of the proposed 38-likometre Fourth Mainland Bridge alone. By the time the bridge’s actual construction begins, landlords and thousands of tenants will have to relocate and look for other accommodations.

Although the government has promised compensation to both the affected landlords and tenants, tempers are still rising due to claims and counter-claims on those qualified to be paid, as well as the increase in rent due to the increase in demand for accommodation by those to be affected by the exercise.

The Mushin debacle

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), through two consulting firms, Nolasimbo Consulting Engineers and Partners Limited, and Global Impact Environmental Consulting Limited, is currently carrying out enumeration exercises on properties on the right-of-way of the Lagos Red Line in Oyingbo, Mushin, Yaba, Ikeja, Agege and Iju area of the state.

For many of the buildings that are expected to go down, they have to pass through many stages in the processes leading to the award of compensation to rightful property owners and tenants, Saturday Tribune gathered.

While most parts of Lagos have been issue-free, hotspots like Mushin and Ikeja have revealed claims and counter-claims by landlords and tenants, thereby leading to a review of the entire exercise in some parts of the state. Findings showed that affected areas in Mushin include buildings on Kayode Street, Ogidan Street, Ogunmokun Street, Ojewere Street, Railway Line, Adeniyi Street, Oladipupo Street, Lawanson Street, Okanlawon Lane, Ijaiye Street, off Ogunmokun; Oladipo Shonde Street, Odiolowo Ojuwoye Street, Olateju Street and some sections of the Mushin Toll Gate area.

With so many claims and counter-claims rocking the enumeration process in Mushin, the contractor was forced to review the entire process, appraise its earlier-released public display, and is set to release a new one.

“On the duplication of names, when we went to Mushin, we found out that none of the claims was true. On getting to Mushin, we found out that the claims were coming from people that own multiple shops in a building, and want to be compensated for all the shops. As we speak, over 50 petitions have been submitted at LAMATA over this issue. However, most of the allegations are not true. Some people wrote their names twice because they have more than one room or have multiple shops in a building. That is why we had to cancel over 50 percent of the enumerated figures in Mushin. We have reviewed the public display and we are set to paste a new public display for Mushin.

“In some cases, we found out that somebody that has a room and a parlour suddenly converts it into two separate single rooms with different owners, all because he or she wants to collect double compensation. All these claims have been exposed and we have reviewed the process and will soon release a new public display based on our findings.

“It is only in Mushin that we are having issues, nothing like that in the other five areas where we are carrying out this exercise,” a Red Line Rail project source told Saturday Tribune.

Claims and counter-claims

For some of the residents in Mushin, the Red Line processes have not been fair and hitch-free. Speaking to Saturday Tribune, a tenant in one of the buildings affected at Ojuwoye area, Mr Banji Olawale, wondered why some people’s names came out twice in the public disclosure list released by LAMATA during the enumeration exercise.

“The LAMATA process is fraught with irregularities and other issues. Why are some people’s names coming out twice in the public disclosure list released by the LAMATA? Some people that did biometrics and finger print, their names did not come out, yet some people’s names came out twice. What kind of process is that?” Olawale said.

Another resident along the railway corridor in Mushin revealed that many houses are getting filled up all because everybody wants to get a share of the compensation. The resident who craved anonymity for fear of being blacklisted said: “Here in Mushin, some apartments in affected buildings which used to have two or four occupants now suddenly have more people in them because they want to have a share of the compensation. Since we were told that both tenants and landlords would be compensated, many apartments are getting flooded with people. Everybody needs money and since the state government-appointed contractor is going from room to room to count the number of affected persons, many apartments are getting filled up.”

Fraud incorporated?

When contacted by Saturday Tribune, a representative of the Red Line Rail Project team, who is also a staff member of LAMATA who begged not to have his name in print as he was not authorised to speak on the matter, explained that most of the claims were found to be false when investigated by the consultant handling the enumeration process.

The source said: “It is true that a lot of people in Mushin and Ikeja were trying to play pranks and cash in on the Red Line rail demolition process, and that is the essence of the public disclosure that we initially made. The essence of the public disclosure is to ensure that we have feedback that can guide us in reducing such deceits from both property owners and tenants.

“Aside from the public disclosure that we did, the Red Line rail compensation process has so many stages of scrutiny, so it will always be difficult for anybody to want to play pranks on the project. After the public disclosure, we have the enumeration stage followed by the accreditation stage. So many fraudulent people were exposed during these processes.

“For example, in Ikeja, when we did the enumeration of affected property owners and tenants, we had over 250 people registered on our list. However, when we started the accreditation stage, only about 160 people turned up for the exercise. A lot of them, when they come and are asked for some documents, will tell us that they are coming back, and run away. We won’t see them again.

“The first stage is for them to be enumerated. That is the stage where everybody writes their names down or claim to be what they are not just to partake in the compensation exercise. The second stage is the accreditation stage. This is the stage where fraudulent claims are exposed.

“The reason why many run away during the accreditation stage is because that stage involves so many people. The CDA people are there, the landlords are there, the community leaders are there, including some staff members of LAMATA and the consultant handling the process.

“So, during this accreditation stage, if there is connivance between a landlord and another person, the CDA people or community leaders will expose them. Imagine somebody that does not stay in a house or area, the CDA or community leaders will quickly point him or her out that they don’t know him. That is why during accreditation stage, many of these dubious people won’t come forward for fear of being exposed. That was why in Ikeja, we enumerated over 250 people but had less than 200 come forward for accreditation.”

Exploiting the desperate

In less than a month from now, houses on rail line’s Right of Way (RoW) in Mushin, Ebute Metta, Yaba, Iddo, Ikeja, Agege, Agbado, among others, will be demolished by the state authorities for the project to take off. The desperation of affected thousands of landlords and tenants, in searching for alternative accommodation, has seen rents soar in these areas, as shown by Saturday Tribune survey.

It was gathered that rent in these neighbourhoods is already hitting the roof despite the second wave of COVID-19, creating further downturn in economy and the attendant low purchasing power of residents.

Managing Director, Jetobless Properties, Mr Toluwani  Jegede, an estate agent in Ogba, said the rail line project also affected residents of Agege and Ogba. According to him, many affected property owners and tenants on the rail project’s alignments have been besieging the offices of estate agents in search of accommodation since last year.

He said between December and January, there was a great increase in the number of people visiting his office in search of property, adding that he got to know through enquiries that many of the new accommodation seekers were affected by the rail project. He said he also found out that many of them could not afford the costs of accommodation in Ogba and Agege, pointing out that landlords in the neighbourhoods had increased their rent due to factors that include sudden rush for houses.

Jegede said the current trend in Agege and Ogba was that owners of old bungalow buildings, not necessarily on the rail’s alignments, had been selling them to unsuspecting people who had the wherewithal to rebuild into modern houses. Currently, he said, the minimum selling price of one of the old bungalow buildings on a full plot ranged between N25 million and N30 million.

On rents, Jegede said that due to the desperation of the accommodation seekers, whose houses had been marked for demolition, a two-bedroom apartment now costs N850,000 and N600,000 in good locations in Ogba and Agege, respectively. According to him, rent for three bedroom is N1.2million in Ogba.

Another estate agent in Agbado/Ijaiye area, Mr Boye Ajayi, said many tenants and house owners were affected by the rail project in Fagba and Agbado axis. He stated that some of affected property owners and tenants who could not wait until government would pay compensation,had been looking for alternative accommodation.

He disclosed that rents for two and three bedrooms cost between N300,000 and N500,000 in Abule-Egba and Fagba. According to him, those who could not afford rent in Abule-Egba, Fagba, Iju-Ishaga and Agbado were already moving to far locations in Ogun State for cheap accommodation. “Some of these people are moving to far locations in Ota, Ifo and Lafenwa where rents are cheaper,” he said.

One of the estate agents confirmed that studio apartments, one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats closer to the city centers have continued to enjoy high demand, adding that there had been a shift by some home builders in favour of these categories of apartments.

Sacrifice for 4th Mainland Bridge

Also on the card is the planned 4th Mainland Bridge and the state authorities, through their consultants, Sustainabiliti Limited and Dar Al Handasar, have continued to engage stakeholders in Lekki, Abraham Adesanya Estate, Baiyeku, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Isheri and other communities to be affected, giving assurances that they would pay compensations to owners of affected property on the bridge’s alignments

Director of Project in the Lagos State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr Tokunbo Ajanaku, added that for investors to bring in money for the construction of the bridge, all procedures and processes must be in place.

He disclosed that a report on livelihood restoration had been carried out and the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) and all social issues like compensation for land/houses and resettlement would be taken care of. Ajanaku said that everyone would be a beneficiary and stakeholder of the proposed 38-kilometre high bridge that would connect Lagos Island to the mainland. He confirmed that the state government was committed to doing everything necessary in the area of proper resettlement.

How compensation will be paid –LAMATA

Speaking on the projects and compensation controversies, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said: “You can see here work is not stopping on the Blue Rail Line. This is a project not forgotten. Yes, there was an advert in the paper yesterday. All the buildings that were affected would have to go. They listed the names of the owners of the buildings and everything there. If your name is supposed to be there and it is not there, you can complain to the authorities.

“So, they voted money for compensations. It is one of the major projects, so there is not going to be any noise about compensations. I am sure that the people that were affected would even be happy because some of the buildings are very old. If we have the Blue Line running and the Red Line running, honestly, if that is the only thing this government can do, that will provide solution to the traffic wahala in Lagos because we have been on it since the Jakande administration.”

On the budget size for the project and definite amounts for tenants and landlords, Omotoso said: “I think it is about N100 billion. Google it and you will get it. Go to LAMATA’s website, all the things you want on their Red Rail Line is there. I don’t know how much they are going to pay for compensations. It depends on what the people are coming up with, but money has been voted for compensations. The documents should be with LAMATA and the state House of Assembly.”

When Saturday Tribune reached out to LAMATA on the amounts to be paid to property owners whose houses are set to be demolished, the spokesperson, Mr Kolawole Ojelabi, explained that everybody won’t get the same amount of compensation due to different types of property that are affected.

Ojelabi said: “The compensation is being done by the consultant handling the Red Line rail project and the consultant is using a valuer who will value the property to be demolished and recommend the amount of compensation to be paid to the owner. So, property owners will definitely not get the same amount, because compensation will be paid based on the value of the property to be demolished.”

Homeless at 76       

A 76-year-old landlord, Robert Egbe, said he had nowhere to go, noting that he had lived in Agbokwa Village, known as Monkey Village, since 1974. He explained that the place was a slightly forested slum where monkeys would come out in the day to play with the residents, which got it the ‘Monkey Village’ moniker.

According to him, the demolition carried out in the neighbourhood was without notice, saying his building was affected.

“I am pleading with the state government to kindly intervene in this ugly situation because I have no place to go with my family,” he said

For Mrs Wisdom, a mother of two, there has been no place to go since the government demolished her makeshift house, saying she was ready to live in the open until an alternative accommodation would be available.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

INEC Lists Five Challenges Ahead Of 2023 Elections

AS politicians step up horse-trading ahead of subsequent elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed five main areas of likely challenges…

Who Succeeds IGP Mohammed Adamu?

As the February retirement date of the incumbent Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu draws near, there are varying permutations on who steps in as the new police boss. SUNDAY ADEPOJU writes on the suspense over the…

After Two Years, Daddy Freeze Apologises To Bishop Oyedepo
Daddy Freeze whose real name is Ifedayo Olarinde has apologised to Bishop Oyedepo who is the presiding bishop and founder of Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel…