The ongoing demolition of buildings in Oworonshoki, Lagos State had been attracting reactions from populace, Civil Society Organisations and other Nigerians. A critical observations show majority of comments are based on emotions, half-truth, fallacies and deliberate distortion of information to dent image of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
For records, Oworonshoki demolition was carried out by Lagos State Government agencies inline with provisions of the law after compensation of 84 property owners even though many of affected people could not prove legal ownership.
Therefore, the demolition is legal as against misinformation trending in the media space. Also, the demolition of October 24, 2025 was done after giving occupants of the properties notice to quit. It’s worthy of note that ongoing renewal action commenced in last month on instruction of Governor Sanwo-Olu to allocate residents to relocate after collecting compensation.
The compensation amounts varied depending on property type, ranging between N3 million and N5 million, with smaller amounts for makeshift structures such as kiosks and shanties.
According to Government Representative, Someone with a bungalow cannot get the same compensation as someone with a storey building. The payments were fair, and you could see smiles on people’s faces as they received their cheques.
For clarity, the structures are within the excised land given to the Oba’s family and government-acquired area. The intention of Lagos State Government has no political colouration but sincere move to structure the development inline with megacity status.
Just few weeks ago, Governor Sanwo-Olu inaugurated the first phase of the Lagos State Housing Estate in Ajara, Badagry, marking the 24th housing project commissioned under his administration.
The 420-unit Phase I of the Ajara scheme consists of 35 blocks of 12-in-1 residential buildings, offering a mix of one, two and three-bedroom semi-furnished apartments. The estate is equipped with modern amenities, including paved roads, a water treatment facility, a sewage plant, an efficient drainage system and a comprehensive electrification network.
To this end, Oworonshoki will not be different from what is happening in other part of the state. The Lagos Urban Renewal would bring total turnaround to Oworonshoki which will address infrastructural gap and give facelift to the area.
Every development plan comes with teething pains just like the BRT that has helped in reducing traffic and giving Lagosians seemless travel experience at affordable rate.
