Recently, a report on the poor housing conditions in Nigeria, especially in its commercial capital, Lagos, was heard at the UN assembly. Today, more than 197 million people live in the country, 95 million of whom are in extreme poverty. People huddle in slums that are not meant for normal life.
Slum Makoko
From above, the Eye-Agbon quarter looks almost picturesque. Small wooden shacks on stilts stand on top of dark water. Residents move by canoe, some ironically call this place "African Venice."
However, a completely different picture opens up nearby. Water is full of household waste, including human feces. The stifling smell of rotten fish hangs in the air. Hundreds of people live here in very close quarters, and there is practically no privacy here. However, despite these conditions, this has become the only refuge for some people.
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Immigrants in Nigeria
Fisherman Dosu Francis moved here three years ago after being evicted from Otodo Gbame, another coastal community located about 25 km to the south. More recently, he huddled with his wife and one of his sons in a small barn, which is used to process fish.
“Ever since we were evicted, it was not easy for me to live, ” Francis says to Dos in a low voice. - I have three children of school age, but I can not afford their education, I can not even feed them. So I had to send two of them to my first daughter, who got married. Only one of my sons lives here with me. ”
Dosu and other residents of Otodo Gbame were forcibly evicted in 2017 after a neighboring community that wanted their land was sent by the police to expel them. People did not receive any compensation, they were simply expelled from their own housing.
Extensive problem
This story is far from unique. Over the past 20 years, millions of people have been evicted from slums in the country, often with rare notice and without alternative housing. Between 2000 and 2009, Nigerian authorities forcibly evicted more than two million people.
In the state of Lagos alone, there were several high-profile forced evictions. In February 2013, government bodies evicted at least 9, 000 people from Badia East in Central Lagos to make way for a government building project. In September 2015, another 10, 000 people were evicted from the area. At the beginning of this year, approximately 10, 000 people received an hour to collect things before being asked to leave the coastal community of Tarkva Bay, a popular holiday destination for Lagos residents.
