Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has accused some local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of exploiting the demolition of illegal structures in the Makoko area for financial gain.
The governor made the allegation while addressing journalists, stating that the state government was closely monitoring the activities of the organisations involved and would soon present evidence to substantiate its claims.
“We are aware that there are some local and international NGOs that want to profit from this. We’re studying, and we’re going to show you evidence,” Sanwo-Olu said.
According to the governor, the affected organisations allegedly secured substantial funding from international donors under the pretext of supporting displaced residents, but failed to deliver meaningful assistance to the communities they claimed to represent.
“They’ve made so much money from international people. They’ve asked for so many grants and resources into those places, and it’s just to cover their own lies and the fact that they’ve not done what they said they were going to do,” he stated.
Sanwo-Olu argued that the alleged profiteering explained what he described as the unusually intense criticism directed at the state government over the demolition exercise.
“That’s why they’re shouting and crying more than the bereaved. We are here to face them and to let them see the reasons why we have to do what we’re doing,” he said.
Defending the demolition, the governor maintained that the exercise was carried out strictly in the interest of public safety, particularly due to the dangers posed by illegal structures erected beneath high-tension power lines.
“Of what interest will it be for the government to want to unduly demolish anybody’s property if it is not for the overall safety of the citizens that we’re talking about?” he asked.
Sanwo-Olu noted that many residents had built shanties directly under high-tension cables, creating serious safety hazards.
“A lot of these people have built the shanties right under the high-tension wires. We cannot be a lawless state,” he said, warning that failure to act could result in a major disaster.
“We cannot fold our arms and let calamity or disaster happen,” the governor added.
In September 2025, the Lagos State Government announced plans to remove illegal structures constructed under high-tension power lines in the Makoko community, Yaba. Makoko comprises both land-based and waterfront settlements, with hundreds of shanties spread across the Lagos Lagoon.
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