Mr Sola Akadi watched in pain on Wednesday as his N55m semi-detached duplex was reduced to rubble by the task force of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment.
His was one of the buildings being demolished by the government for building on a drainage channel in the Ikota area of the State.
In a few minutes, his investment that had barely lasted two years was gone in a twinkle in his eyes.
As the blade of the bulldozer touched the roof of his building that morning, Akadi held his chest and shook his head in disbelief.
“I could not believe it was happening,” he told our correspondent in an interview. “It was not even up to two years that I bought the property and now it has been brought to the ground. No one in my shoes will be happy losing over N55m and other charges I’ve paid on the property. It’s still like a dream.”
He said when he heard about the planned demolition from a neighbour a few days earlier, he didn’t know how to relay the sad news to his family who had been savouring the moment.
Asked what motivated him to buy the property, he said towards the end of 2021, he felt the need to buy a property in Lagos and that he didn’t hesitate when he got a good offer from the developers of Venux Homes (Phase 1), Ikota GRA and the nod of his lawyer, whom he involved from the outset.
He noted further, “The builders made it clear that everything was up to date, and I believed them because there were other people before us. That was my undoing. Even when I went to the Ministry of the Environment and Physical Planning, they did not imply that there was a problem.
“At the time, the building was not completed. I went there once to check and there were no signs that the building was marked for demolition. The Lagos State Government would not say they were not aware.
“I paid for the property and moved in, until I heard from a neighbor two days to the planned demolition that my house and others in the area would be pulled down.”
He said he later realised the state government had given its final notice of demolition, and that they had to move all the valuables they could till the bulldozers arrived at the site. He said when he cited the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, and approached him to plead for leniency, Wahab made it clear that no house on the drainage channel or the slabs or setbacks would be spared.
He noted, “That was when I learnt that government officials had come in 2020 to warn the developers and some occupants to stop work and vacate the property but they refused.
“It was during the demolition that I heard about a lot of things. I heard some government officials came and had an understanding with the residents to carry out some corrective measures but they failed to do it.
“Look at the way they have rendered people homeless. I don’t think any builder would erect such buildings without an approval from the ministry. I think what happened was a kind of encroachment but not all the buildings encroached on the channel.”
While calling on the builders to speak on whether or not they got approval from the ministry, Akadi said the commissioner told them that residents should be the ones to compensate the government.
Urban renewal claiming properties
In an attempt to restore sanity to the state and find a solution to flooding in some areas, the state government on Wednesday began the demolition of structures and shanties on setbacks of drainage channels at the Lekki Phase II-Ikota drainage channel.
Typically, most structures on the axis are worth millions of naira, with state-of-the-art finishing and fixtures. Thus, one could conclude that buildings so far demolished were worth billions of naira.
For example, at Venux Homes Phase 1, Ikota GRA, blocks of terrace houses worth over N80m each were demolished. Our correspondent learnt no fewer than 20 buildings in the entire stretch were brought down. This implies that at the Venux Homes alone, buildings worth N1.6bn were demolished.
Also, at the Megamound end of the Lekki Phase II, several buildings in one of the signature areas were demolished.
At the Mobil end, some buildings near completion were also brought down.
It was learnt that the semi-detached buildings cost over N50m per unit. During the demolition, all the buildings on the water channel and several others behind a popular restaurant in the area were brought down.
Our correspondent gathered that many people had made full payment and were waiting for the completion so they could move in, until the demolition began.
Also, at the Ikota Villa Estate, several semi-detached buildings within the price range of N55m to N80m were demolished.
Meanwhile, Wahab has given residents at Cluster 1, Lekki County Estate, Ikota GRA and Megamound Estate within Lekki Phase II, Ikota drainage channel a final warning to vacate their premises to enable the task force to do their job. He made this known on his official X account on Friday.
The demolition exercise, it was learnt, began at Mobil Road and Gedegede community in the highbrow Lekki Phase II following the expiration of several contravention notices served on the property owners.
Speaking with journalists at the scene of the demolition, the commissioner said the outright demolition underscored the seriousness of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration about law and order restoration.
Wahab, who spoke through the Director, Drainage Enforcement and Compliance, Mahmood Adegbite, said the state started serving contravention notices on the property owners in 2020 when all the structures were at their foundation level.
According to him, the residents ignored the notices and all measures suggested by the state government to prevent flooding in the area. Rather than heed the warning, he said some residents went ahead to fill the setback of the channel in preparation for constructing more structures.
He stated, “We cannot write the story of Lagos without the unfortunate incident of flash flood. We are all aware that flooding is caused by natural forces as well as anthropogenic factors, one of which is building on flood plains and right of way of drainages.”
Adegbite pointed out that one of the buildings demolished was at the foundation level in 2020 when the owner was informed that the building was being constructed within the drainage’s right of way.
He said the approved setback was 15 metres but that being a high density area, it was reduced to 10 metres. He however lamented that property owners in the area not only built on the right of way but encroached into the channel by as much as three metres.
The drainage channels, according to him, are about four kilometers, adding that once the demolition was completed, the government would ensure dredging to widen the canal.
Adegbite further advised aspiring and property owners to seek information before embarking on any building project.
He added, “Few people cannot be allowed to cause hardship for the majority. We also received petitions about these unwholesome activities that bother on impunity and we had to act decisively.
“This should serve as a warning to others who have done similar things in other locations; they should know that their actions would have consequences.”
‘I just moved in’
A woman, who simply gave her name as Agboola, said she moved in two months ago after her husband relocated abroad and bought the semi-detached duplex for her around the Ikota GRA.
While pleading for understanding during the demolition, she said she had no idea the building was on a drainage channel.
She noted, “The developers said nothing about this. We also did not find any anomaly from our checks. I just moved in after furnishing and remodeling the house. Where am I expected to sleep?”
When asked if notice was given, she told our correspondent, “I did not get any official evacuation notice. I woke up one morning and saw some marks on my wall and I called the builders who told me to ignore it, that it must have been a mistake. I spent over N80m on this property. I can’t just lose it.”
Her cries fell on deaf ears as the building was pulled down after she was given some time to remove her belongings.
Another resident, Mr Chidi Lucky, said on the telephone, “This is disheartening. I have not even come to terms with it. It’s as if I’m dreaming. Where do I start from? I spent my last kobo to acquire this property in 2020. I thought the issues being raised now had been settled.”
While some gave vent to their frustration, some appeared too downcast to talk. Also, some had to be persuaded to leave the demolition site to avoid being injured by the falling blocks and iron bars.
In-between the emotions that permeated the site, a man, suspected to be a resident, stripped himself while appealing for understanding from the task force. “This is my life being taken away,” he said as he burst into tears.
Sadly, his tears could not persuade the task force as his fence, gate, air conditioner were all pulled down before the blade of the bulldozer pierced the main building reducing it to rubble in a few minutes.
Alleged victimisation
Some residents however claimed they were being victimised because they were not indigenes of the state. Most of them declined speaking to our correspondent, but one of them who preferred to be identified as Chief Chinazarum, said he had lost three properties to the demolition, adding in a mix of Igbo and English, “Three of them cost me over N200m. One is a bungalow and the other two are duplexes. Where do I start from?
“They are doing this to us because we are not indigenes. This is victimisation. We will fight,” he said, while refusing to answer when our correspondent asked if he was aware that his three buildings were on the drainage path that leads to the Ikota River.
‘No special treatment’
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government said it would not be selective in applying the law in the demolition of illegal structures.
Wahab, who said this on Saturday during the demolition, assured residents of fairness to all.
Wahab, who was besieged by residents of the fully built structures marked for demolition, said stopping the demolition exercise midway would amount to double standards, since some had been demolished already.
He said the state was committed to reclaiming its drainage setback and restoring its master plan.
He stated further that owners of the demolished structures knew they had contravened the law, which necessitated the engagements with the ministry since 2020.
“At Ikota, the level of encroachment is unimaginable; people have built on the canal path but we resolved that this nuisance cannot be allowed to continue; it just had to stop. I visited Ikota once again and met the owners of the structures that had not been demolished,” he added.
He advised homeowners to seek and obtain drainage approval alongside other approvals before embarking on building projects.
“This enforcement will be a continuous exercise; people cannot blame the government for their actions; whatever negative thing you do to the environment will come to haunt you eventually,’’ he added.
Developers mum
Over nine developers said to be responsible for several estates in the Lekki Phase II and Ikota GRA areas did not respond to calls.
Some feigned ignorance while some quickly hung up when they learnt the caller was from Journalists. Some others did not answer their calls or respond to text messages sent to them.
Meanwhile, a man who gave his name as Fidelis Okpara and was said to be the lead developer of Venux Home that had been demolished, promised to get back on Wednesday but had yet to do so as of press time.
Another one who refused to give his name insulted our reporter and dropped the call before our correspondent was able to make his enquiries on whether or not approval was sought from the state government before construction and if they were aware that their buildings were on drainage channels.
Punch