Next Africa Why Lagos Demolished The Homes Of Thousands Of Poor Residents
Jan 30, 2026
Toni Fola-Alade, co-founder of Do Good Africa and charity leader, recounts her Makoko school being torn down and efforts to rehouse students. Anthony Osae-Brown, Bloomberg’s Nigeria bureau chief, explains large-scale waterfront demolitions, safety and compensation claims, and how informal land rights complicate displacement. They discuss privatized waterfronts, urban renewal pressures, and calls for inclusive resettlement.
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Water-Based Community At The City's Edge
- Makoko is a vast waterside community where residents live, trade and run schools on the water despite extreme poverty.
- Recent demolitions targeting structures near high-tension power lines have displaced thousands and exposed stark inequality next to Victoria Island.
Young Founders Built A Free School
- Toni Fola-Alade described building a free school for about 1,000 children in Makoko to address dire education gaps.
- The school sat roughly 380 metres from power lines yet was demolished, leaving orphans homeless and pupils without education.
Conflicting Setback Rules Fuel Uncertainty
- Lagos state communicated differing setback distances—from 25–30 metres up to 100–150 metres—creating uncertainty for residents.
- Toni notes federal law allows 25 metres, while the state's shifting claims widened the basis for demolitions.