Residents of buildings being pulled down in the ongoing demolition of weak structures on Lagos Island lament losses. Gboyega Alaka reports.
I am out in the hot sun. And if it was raining, I’d be out in the cold. But for this shed, you can see that I’d be practically under the sun. As a matter of fact, I’m still thinking of where to move to. The only good thing, and for which I will thank the government, is that it is better to be alive than that to be buried alive under a collapsed building. As for a new accommodation, I’m sure God will make a way.”
Those were the words of Omowunmi, one of the residents of House 34 Berkeley Street, off King George V Road, Onikan, Lagos Island, one of the houses being pulled down in the wake of the unfortunate building collapse on Itafaji Street, Lagos Island penultimate week. That incident, which claimed many young and adult lives and left many hospitalised, has remained a sore point and a guilty verdict on the entire governance system of the acclaimed megacity. The building was said to be a two storey building housing a school and residential accommodations. It was also said to have been marked for demolition three years ago by staff of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA), having been found to be too weak for accommodation, but delay in government action and a refusal of the occupants to move out, ultimately led to the gruesome event.
Expectedly, the loss of children lives has given that incident, a fresh impetus. An outraged public couldn’t understand why the authorities hadn’t forcefully evicted occupants of the building, or at best, closed down the school and save the innocent children from a danger they played no part in.
It is on account of this that the authorities have embarked on a demolition spree on the Island. From Itafaji Street, where the most recent incident occurred, to nearby Swamp Street, Inabere, Freeman/Tapa Street, Tokunbo, Igbosere, Offin, Jankara and Berkley, the Lagos State Government, through LSBCA, has been ruthless. Houses upon houses are being pulled down, in a manner that suggests a zero tolerance to suspected weak structures, going forward.
An official of LABSCA, Omotayo Falolu, told newsmen in the wake of the incident, that over 150 houses have been marked for demolition on Lagos Island alone. He also said over 30 had been removed in the last one year, with more to go in a phase that began last week.
As at the last count, over 20 have either been demolished or are being pulled down systematically, as this feature was being compiled. Falolu said: “What we’re trying to do is to remove occupants from all these structures that have been marked so that no life is lost in Lagos.”
In line with the declaration of one of the Lagos State officials, this reporter found out that most of the structures that were being demolished were literally vacant. At Swamp Street, Clement, who owned a plumbing material shop on the ground floor of the building being demolished, said he was the last occupant to move out of the building. He said the house had been marked for demolition since February last year and the occupants had all taken precautions.
Said Clement, ” I had an option, that’s why I moved out last. You can see that I have a shop right opposite the building. As for the other occupants, they all took precaution and moved out long ago. People on the last floor vacated four months ago, some vacated in December last year. The ones on the lower floor vacated long ago. They were family/owners and they knew what could happen if they didn’t move out. Apart from me, it is only the boys of the occupants of the upper floor, who come to stay there once in a while.”
Clement also said he was happy that the house was being pulled down, saying hoodlums may otherwise take over the premises and begin terrorising people in the area, especially business owners like him.
On his advice to residents of marked houses, Clement said, “That would depend on the individual. People who have the resources would definitely move out, once they are told that their building is in danger of collapsing, but what of those who do not? There is nobody who does not know that he should move out of a marked building, but the real issue is money.”
Is he then suggesting that the government provide accommodation alternatives for residents of such buildings, Clement said, “I am not suggesting anything, but the government should do what they deem right in such situation.”
The story is similar on Inabere Street, where this reporter gathered that all occupants had moved out, save an embroidery designer, who operates in a kiosk on the foot of the building.
The matronly lady, who identified herself as Omoyemi, said she ran her embroidery business there, since she had nowhere else to go. She also said she was away when the structure was pulled down, leading to her loss of critical work equipment and materials.
“My stuff were submerged in the demolition. Now I have nowhere to do my business, and no work tool. Perhaps, you could help me appeal to the government to come to my aid,” she said.
At Freeman, a building, House 46, was being pulled down manually this Tuesday. This could be to avoid causing damage to another structure very close to it. Again, it was learnt that all occupants had moved out, since notice was given.
This reporter also observed similar demolition being carried out on vacated buildings on Tokunbo Street and Igbosere Street. Instructively, the building on Igbosere used to serve as office for several law firms. A middle-age artisan working there, said their initial job was to dismantle and take out useful stuff before the final demolition.
The pains
Nevertheless, the demolition has not been without pains, sometimes, tears for some occupants, who claimed they weren’t ready for the eviction. Omowunmi, quoted at the begining of this feature, is one of such.
Although she confessed that, “Yes, the house had been marked for demolition over two years ago, but the truth is that we couldn’t move out because we didn’t have money to get new accommodation. Besides, the building looked strong, though tilted. If not for the collapse at Itafaji, I’m sure nobody would have thought of bringing it down yet.”
Omowunmi, who said the house was a three storey building comprising rooming apartments and flats, said there were nearly a hundred occupants in the house before the sudden ‘eviction.’ and demolition.
She however advised that the Lagos State Government should intensify its effort to sanitise the situation, to avoid recurrent collapses.
“Please tell the government that we are in support of what they are doing. Even though it is a difficult experience for the owners of the buildings and occupants, the fact remains that it is better than losing lives. There are some houses in areas like Okepopo, Apatira, Evans, that shouldn’t be standing as we speak. In fact, there is one in Apongbon that is still upright because it is leaning on another beside it. To say people cannot move out because there are no alternatives, is mere exaggeration because when the caterpillars come, everybody will scamper to safety. Even houses under construction should be tested and if they fail the stress test, they should be brought down.”
Two of Omowunmi’s neighbours, who would not reveal their identity, initially waved off this reporter when he approached them for interviews, chorusing, “Will talking to you bring money?”
But as people who have a lot bottled inside, they soon began venting, albeit, unintentionally.
“Look, oga journalist, what I need now is money, not talking,” one of them said.
“My stuff are in that uncompleted building there (pointing to a structure under construction opposite his old abode). That is where I slept last night and I don’t think the story will change tonight. Tell the government to give us money to get new accommodation. That is what a government would do in places like America.”
His friend, who looked equally frustrated, blurted, “I have five children that I have been managing to take care of with my artisan job, but now that we have been rendered homeless, I don’t even know where to start from. As I speak, I’ve had to go and put my children with relatives. By implication, that also means they cannot go to school until the problem of accommodation is settled.
“Since they issued the notice of demolition, I have been disorganised. I don’t know how to go about it because I have no money. I couldn’t even concentrate at work. The demolition people arrived as early as 4am and we all had to scamper out with the things we could rescue. Look, (he also points at the building under construction) that’s where we slept last night. To make matters worse, SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) officials came to raid the place last night and we had to be struggling to explain ourselves.”
They had ample time to move out – landlady
However, Mrs. Balogun Olabisi Coker, who identified herself as the landlady of the house and who watched calmly, as artisans carried out evacuation of the debris of the demolition, said the tenants had enough time to move out and sort themselves before demolition equipment moved in.
“No, no, no,” she retorted at the suggestion that the demolition was sudden. “It’s the Coker family house and none of them can tell us that they didn’t know that they were coming to carry out the demolishing. To tell you the truth, it is in our favour that the government has taken this action, because the tenants had been given notice that the house was weak for the past two years, but they refused to move out. They were living in the property without paying for two years.
“We’ve had plans to demolish and rebuild the house from the moment it was adjudged weak, but the tenants refused to move out. We are the ones that invited the government to come and remove them. We knew that when they see government’s demolition equipment, they won’t have any choice but to move out. ”
Danger on Tapa/Freeman street
Not too far from House 46, Freeman, is House 63. The corner piece building also falls on Tapa Street as House 18. Significantly, it has been cordoned off with a red tape, apparently alert occupants of danger; but virtually all occupants seemed to be in denial and either feigned ignorance or pretended that nothing was amiss.
One of them, a man, who waved off enquiries about his name but volunteered that he is a motor vehicle workshop superintendent, said he had no information that the house is to be demolished.
When asked if the house had not been marked, he said, “That is for the landlord to answer.”
About the red tape, he said, “They said it is for us to keep off, but it is sudden.”
Asked if he had plans to move out, should government’s demolition squad arrive tomorrow, he simply shrugged his shoulders. He however said he hadn’t been able to access his shop since the officials came to cordon off the place. “They locked all the shops on the ground floor with their padlocks, so we can’t even access our shops. You can see that most people are operating from the little space in front of their shops.”
Shehu Raji, who runs a tailoring shop in one of the shops, echoed the same denial line.
“Yes, they marked it but it is not for demolition. They left a message for the caretaker to come see them at the office and I believe he has gone there to sort things out.”
Just before Raji finished, another occupant of the shop next ti him cut in, “Oga press, ut’s not true that the building has been marked for demolition o. They only told the caretaker to come and see them, which I believe he has done; so I’m sure the tape will e removed soon.”
In all, one could sense palpable anxiety and a fear of losing their means of livelihood. The narratives also smacked of some kind of connivance between the authorities and occupants of the house, which could possibly spell doom.
