.demands transparency from state govt
By Our Reporter
Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned in strong term what it termed as the unprovoked and violent assault by the Nigeria Police on peaceful protesters, primarily residents of Makoko and surrounding communities, who came on Wednesday to register their displeasure at the Lagos State House of Assembly over ongoing demolition exercise in their area, describing the scenes recorded at the Assembly Complex as a stain on nation's democracy.
The party voiced this concern in a statement issued and signed by its Publicity Secretary - elect, Dr. Christopher O. Odianarewo, copy of which was made available to newsmen on Thursday, noting that the affected protesters, who had gathered at the Assembly complex to exercise their fundamental right to dissent "over the aggressive, inhumane, and deteriorating state of the demolition exercises currently ravaging their ancestral homes" were met with teargas, batons, and brute force instead of being listened to.
PDP, while condemning the attack on the protesters, describing the scenes at the House of Assembly as a stain on the country's democracy, alleged that the ongoing demolition in the affected areas was a "State-Sanctioned Cruelty In The Name Of "Development."
The party argued that, while the Lagos State Government could justify the demolition exercise on account of "urban renewal" and "safety setbacks," said that the reality on ground amounted to a humanitarian disaster, even as it queried: Whose house is next?
On who really owns the waterways, the party demanded that the state government should "come clean," regarding its true interests in the Makoko waterfront, just as it quickly recalled that by virtue of the Supreme Court's affirmation of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Act, the management and control of Nigeria’s navigable waterways fall under the Exclusive Legislative List of the Federal Government.
"The Lagos State PDP demands that the State Government 'come clean' regarding its true interests in the Makoko waterfront. We remind the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration of the following:
"Federal Authority: By virtue of the Supreme Court's affirmation of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Act, the management and control of Nigeria’s navigable waterways fall under the Exclusive Legislative List of the Federal Government.
"The Conflict of Interest: If the waterways belong to the Federal Government, what is the special, vested interest of the Lagos State Government in the aggressive reclamation and demolition of Makoko?" the statement queried.
"There is a growing and disturbing perception that these demolitions are not about 'safety,' but rather to clear the way for elite luxury real estate projects, at the expense of the poor and the displaced," it alleged.
PDP, therefore, demanded immediate accountability on the issue on ground, saying that an independent inquiry into the use of force by the police on the protesters at the Assembly Complex should be set up and ensure that those who ordered the attack on unarmed women and youths were be held responsible.
Besides, the party also demanded that an immediate halt to all demolition exercises in Makoko and environs until a transparent, human-rights-compliant resettlement plan was established, even as it further demanded "the state government must explain the legal framework it is using to override Federal authority over these waterways."
This was just as the party pointedly declared that the people of Makoko are Lagosians and not environmental hazards, saying that they deserved dignity, dialogue, and protection, not teargas and bulldozers.
"The Lagos State PDP, hereby demands:
Immediate Accountability: An independent inquiry into the use of force by the Police today at Alausa. Those who ordered the attack on unarmed women and youths must be held responsible.
"A Cease and Desist: An immediate halt to all demolition exercises in Makoko and environs until a transparent, human-rights-compliant resettlement plan is established.
"Jurisdictional Clarity: The State Government must explain the legal framework it is using to override Federal authority over these waterways," PDP said.
"The people of Makoko are Lagosians, not environmental hazards. They deserve dignity, dialogue, and protection, not teargas and bulldozers," it added.
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