Collins Johnson, a Lagos resident who paid N150,000 to live in the recently demolished settlement under Ikoyi Bridge, has lamented his fate.

Johnson, who was seated on a stool when FIJ visited the settlement on Thursday, said he had just moved in and paid N150,000 as rent.

“The economy is tough, and I cannot afford a decent apartment on the island where I work. I don’t know where to go next or what to do next,” he said.

The lives of the dwellers of the illegal settlement took a tragic turn when the Lagos State Government began demolishing their abode on May 1.

Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, the special adviser on environment to the Lagos State Government, said on his X profile that the bridge housed 86 rooms that were partitioned into 10×10 and 12×10, and residents paid N250,000 per annum as rent.

“Squatters dwelling under the bridge leading from inward Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, were evicted today, Tuesday, 30th of April, 2024, by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps LAGESC,” Rotimi-Akodu wrote.

“These people created their illegal settlement under the bridge, thereby exposing the critical infrastructure to impending destruction. 23 persons have so far been arrested, and the Ministry of Environment/KAI will continue to monitor the place. The law will definitely take its course.”

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He added that wood materials were used to construct the shelters, some occupants used gas cylinders and some stored fuel for their generators.

When FIJ visited the settlement, LAGESC had demolished it, and many occupants had fled, leaving their personal effects behind, while others remained to bemoan their fate.

‘COST OF HOUSING IS SKYROCKETING’

Oluyinka Awakan, a real estate agent with more than a decade of experience, told FIJ that the cost of housing in Lagos is now higher than it was in previous years.

“The demand for accommodation is now higher than it was in previous years. The reasons can be attributed to the high population of the state. People relocate to Lagos in droves daily because of its economic potential, ” he told FIJ.

The population of Lagos is estimated at 16,536,018, which, in the past year, grew by 590,106, representing 3.7 percent annual growth. With a GDP of about N41 trillion, Lagos boasts of being the state with the highest GDP in Nigeria.

The state is also home to numerous economic and employment opportunities, which attract people from other states. However, when they move to Lagos, they are faced with a harsh reality: decent housing is more expensive there than it is in the states they came from.

Without provisions for decent housing, they either contribute to the country’s homeless population of over 24 million people — the highest in the world — or become squatters under bridges like Johnson, who was evicted.

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TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF

Adams, another evicted occupant who lived under the Ikoyi bridge with his brother, told FIJ that there were over 200 occupants who resided there prior to their eviction, and the person they paid rent to took advantage of them.

“The government and other people would be asking why we chose to live under the bridge, but the truth is there was no other place to go. With the economic situation, it is difficult to rent an apartment close to where we work. So, we chose to manage this place,” said Adams.

He added that he thought the person they paid rent to had involved the state government.

“We pay a huge amount of money here. Some people paid N150,000, while others paid N250,000, depending on the size of the room. We thought the government was aware, only for them to come one day and demolish it,” he said

“How do you just collect rent from over 200 people for this place and not involve the government? My brother went to work and would return to meet his properties outside.”

The identity of the person they paid rent to still remains unknown, as the squatters were not willing to reveal to FIJ who they paid rent to.

FIJ asked Adams to disclose the identity of the person to whom they paid rent, but he refused and said he heard the Lagos State Ministry of Environment had invited the person for questioning.

When FIJ contacted Lukman Ajayi, the public relations officer of LAGESC, on Friday, he said 28 squatters were arrested and they had obtained some receipts from some of them.

This reporter asked to see the receipts, and he declined, saying:

“The commissioner for environment has asked us to confirm its authenticity before making them publicly available. We would invite the residents for questioning on Monday to inquire the source of the receipts,” he said.

FIJ also contacted him on Wednesday. He said they were still conducting investigations to ascertain the authenticity of the receipts.