Eguns: Agony of a displaced community
By Kunle Ajayi,
Senior Photojournalist
Despair, frustration, pain or agony cannot be said to be the right word to describe the psychological trauma that was facially expressed by the Eguns in Ago Egun at Ilaje-Bariga riverside area of Lagos last Sunday. They could now be best referred to as displaced persons as a result of the ongoing government-ordered demolition exercise of their makeshift houses built along the lagoon.
The Eguns who are predominantly fishermen claimed to have settled on the area for decades. The Lagoon has formed nucleus part of their lives. Their social and economic landscapes have always been revolving around the water. The male folks are almost 24 hours on the water hunting for fish while their women smoke the caught fish and prepare them for sale in the market.
A letter dated 18th of August, from Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement Unit), Office of the Governor, Alausa in Ikeja, instructing them to vacate and remove their houses within three days, had ushered in panic and tension as well turned to the entire community into comatose.
The government considered their natural habitat to be running afoul of its environmental law.
As stated in part of the letter that was made available to Daily Independent by the Baale of Ago Egun, Chief Samuel Joseph, the government was not comfortable with the shanties. “Upon inspection of the property at shanties on the lagoon, Ago-Egun Ilaje-Bariga, Lagos, it appears that the provision of the Environmental Management Laws of Lagos State that the regulations made under it has been contravened in respect thereof: Your contravention which has constituted nuisance to the environment include illegal erection of shanties on the lagoon,” the letter read in part.
In what appears a loggerhead between customs and policy, in which the government seems to have taken the upper hand, the situation has virtually thrown the affected people into a sort of helplessness.
Based on the letter that said occupiers should clear the structures in three days, the task force swung into action and started the demolition on Sunday. “You are hereby ordered to abate the nuisance(s) and restore the land to a conducive environment within three day,” the letter had further ordered.
The arrival of armed policemen, who accompanied the task force officials with black Maria and another group on boats confirmed it was not a mere statement, but that the government meant business.
The residents could not believe that the day that ought to be their resting day would be the most turbulent one in their lives, an event that seemed a recap of the black Sunday on which the controversial forceful eviction that befell the old occupants of Maroko axis on the Victoria Island occurred.
When Daily Independent visited the community, the residents were seen removing their properties to avoid being burnt down. It was gathered that the enforcement squad who came with kegs of petrol threatened to set the community ablaze if they residents failed to demolish their houses. The fear of losing everything forced the residents to start removing their belongings and scattering their buildings themselves.
According to the residents, the notice that mandated them to quit and remove their structures was so sudden, too short and left no room for anybody to make any meaningful arrangement for alternative accommodation. All their properties were packed in canoes and stationed in the water.
The exercise has landed one of the residents, Mr. Lamidi Wahid, who fell from the roof top in the process of removing the roofing sheets into his hospital. It was learnt Wahid was badly injured and went into comma before he was taken to hospital.
The Baale who pleaded on behalf of his kinsmen wants government to halt the exercise because of untold hardships it has unleashed to his people. “I was away in Apah Badagry when the letter came. On my return I had a meeting with Asogbon family where I was briefed that my people had just three days to leave otherwise their houses would be burnt down. I was perplexed. We kept vigil so that we would not be burnt while sleeping. On Sunday we saw policemen led by on Assistant commissioner. They came with petrol and wood cutting machines. They acceded to my plea not to use petrol but if you go into the lagoon you will see how they cut my people houses. I am begging our Governor Babtunde Fashola to intervene because we have no place to move to. I was moved to tears when I saw the agony on the face of a woman with three day old baby; others are seeking refuge under the bridge. The situation is worrisome and has rendered us helpless and dejected,” the chief lamented.
Before the exercise, Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Prince Adesegun Oniru stated that government could no longer tolerate a situation where its waterfront is turned into a slum by the Ilajes and that they have to quit the place.
“Those shanties on top of that water have no street address for anybody, so the state government is here to warn them to move from the water body because we are coming to clear all the shanties on the water bodies. Be it on the water and along the water front, the state government is here to make sure that people
On whether they would be relocated, Oniru said that there were no plans to assist the dwellers relocate to other areas, saying, “Why will you relocate someone that is not supposed to be in this area in the first place? There are people here along the water front, they are not supposed to be here; they should move away from there and I don’t believe that a plan should be put in place to relocate them”.
