The Socialist Workers League (SWL) strongly condemns the ongoing demolition and forced evictions in Oworonshoki, Lagos. What we are witnessing is not urban renewal — it is class war against the poor, executed in the interest of the rich and powerful profit-seeking few, using urban renewal as an excuse to grab land from the many poor working people.
Thousands of working-class families have been thrown into the streets — their homes, shops, and their means of livelihood have been destroyed overnight without alternative housing being provided. Women, children, the young and the elderly have been rendered homeless under the false flag of “urban renewal.” This act of cruelty exposes the anti-poor nature of the Lagos State Government and its collaborators. The demolition, which started in 2023, has rendered over 30,000 people homeless and without means of livelihood. This number includes children who can no longer go to school because their schools have also been demolished.
The demolition in Oworonshoki is not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern of neoliberal gentrification across Lagos — clearing the poor out of spaces in the city to make way for luxury estates, private developers, and political cronies. The connivance between the state authorities and traditional power brokers, including the Oba of Oworonshoki, further reveals how the machinery of oppression is being used to enrich the rich few at the expense of the many that have been impoverished.
But the people of Oworonshoki have not been silent in the face of oppression. The community is organising and fighting back. Youths, women, and workers have come together in unity to demand justice and accountability. From peaceful protests to community assemblies, residents have boldly rejected the lies and intimidation of the Lagos State Government.
Despite the Lagos State Task Force and the Nigeria Police’s unlawful arrest and detention in prison of 24 residents who dared to protest and resist the land grabbers, the people of Oworonshoki remain undeterred. They continue to organise, speak out, and stand firm against further demolitions. Their courage in the face of state repression and intimidation is a powerful symbol of the steadfast working-class spirit — proof that the poor will not surrender their dignity or their land.
The resistance of the people of Oworoshoki has also exposed the unholy alliance between the Lagos State Government, private developers and certain traditional power brokers, including the Oba of Oworonshoki, who have attempted to suppress the community’s voice. But the residents have refused to be silenced — standing firm on their right to housing, justice, and life with dignity.
SWL stands firmly with the working people of Oworonshoki and all communities under threat of demolition across Lagos and Nigeria. And our comrades continue to lead, organise and fight alongside the working people of Oworoshoki.
Our demands:
1. Stop all demolitions immediately! Uphold the fundamental right of the people to decent housing – put people first over the profit of land grabbers and so-called developers.
2. Ensure a transparent, democratic, and people-led enumeration process for all affected residents, and provide immediate and adequate compensation to all victims whose houses and livelihoods have been destroyed in Oworonshoki and across the state.
3. The immediate removal of Mr Saliu Babatunde Saliu as the Oloworo of Oworonshoki. The people reject him as an exploiter! The land rejects him as an oppressor! All those who brutalised residents, many of whom were wounded, and the people who ordered them, including Mr. Saliu, must be made to face justice.
4. Massive works project to provide social public housing to the people, under community control — not private profit!
The struggle for housing is a struggle against capitalism itself. Shelter is a human right — not a privilege for the rich. The Socialist Workers League calls on workers, students, trade unions, community organisations, and activists to unite and resist this war on the poor. We must organise, mobilise, and demand a socialist alternative — one where the wealth of society serves human need, not private greed.
An injury to one is an injury to all! We must continue to Unite and Fight!
Signed
Jamiu TOWOLAWI
National Chairperson
Signed
Amara NWOSU
National Secretary
