In the wake of the current eviction given to the Makoko
people last month, I decided to visit Makoko, as a blogger I felt I needed to
visit Makoko, so I headed to the popular Makoko street in Yaba with a friend,
as we drove down the street, I looked around and the look on people’s faces
were that of apprehension, distrust and I felt wow! No strangers allowed, so we
turned and headed out…..,I felt disappointed because I didn’t achieve my goal,
I wanted to talk to residents and hear their views on the recent eviction
by the Lagos state government, on my way home, I asked myself ,why
should they trust anyone?
In every society the government is meant to protect its citizens,
and the Lagos state government has stated that the safety of the lives of the
Makoko resident is a key factor, the rise in sea level; increase in amount of
rain fall as a result of climate change poses a great danger to people living
on the Lagoon.
As I ponder on this, the word climigration comes to mind- Migration forced
by climate change, despite my effort to find a name for
the situation in Makoko I feel the word “climigration” cannot fully grasp the
Makoko situation, because I feel there is more to the Makoko issue than climate change ,and when
people are asked to leave their homes, the
people must be assisted to stand on their feet economically and be able to
provide for themselves, this is to make sure that the impact to
displacement is minimal without this, we open doors for criminal activities and
this is counter productive to the sustainable development of the society.
The government has promised to provide
basic amenities for the people of Makoko; the governor stated “We are working to provide water,
schools, libraries and so on for you. But those who have just come must leave.
That is the reality.” He further stated that: “We have land in other parts of
the state that are close to water, so if communities want to apply for land, we
will give them land; but you cannot build on the lagoon”
I
hope these promises will become a reality and the people of Makoko will smile again,
because truly there is no place like home……
@greenernaija
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