Based on world statistics I’ve learnt that there are about 7.5 billion of people, in which my family members and Nigerians are included. Among this huge number of people in the world, the poor masses who made the larger part of the population have suffered a lot from those who are supposed to be protecting them.
In my family we choose not to be violators nor overambitious of any ephemeral material or positions rather, we live a low key life style with hope of better and greater future. We believed that someday sometime with hope and hardworking, the day will be bright but today all our expectations, and hope have crumbled by leaders who are supposed to provide, protect and promote people’s wellbeing.
After my father’s 35 meticulous service year as a Bricklayer (a builders), he managed to erect 12room apartment at Makoko and Temidire community in Lagos Mainland, my mother’s long time efforts as a food vendor at Otumara-Ilaje community could only amount to her getting some shops while we the children combined resources, after managing to excel in our academic pursuit, to put up 20 room apartment at an informal settlement at Otto/Ilogbo Extention Community.
The community was demolished with just a 24 hour notice of eviction from agencies of the state government; that make an oath to respect rule of law and which earlier accepts the fact that there are deficits in housing. This same government that failed to provide mass housing schemes for the masses could be proactive in pulling down hard earned structures of downtrodden vulnerable marginalized masses without alternative or compensation.
May I ask? How can we separate a snail from its shell and expect the snail to survive? Force eviction is killing, it’s evil, it kills faster, and could cause psychological trauma, it shatters hope and split the family.
Let everyone, the lawyers, accountants, Doctors, Engineers, rights defenders and stakeholders join the voice; that all human beings need adequate homes and shelter. Unity must be our strengths,