Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the former 2023 Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos, has blasted the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led Lagos State government over its ongoing lawless demolitions in the Oworonshoki communities of the state, saying that the operations lack planning and empathy.
Describing the government’s action as “anti-poor”, Rhodes-Vivour condemned the Lagos state government for defying court orders restraining the demolitions.
He said the exercise had repeatedly placed the interests of wealthy investors and developers above those of ordinary residents.
Rhodes-Vivour, who said this during an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, expressed concerns over what he described as the government’s lack of empathy and disregard for due process.
According to him, the demolitions, which began nearly two weeks ago, had targeted residents who had lived in the community for more than a decade, many of whom were reportedly displaced at night without proper notice or consultation.
“There is absolute lawlessness because there’s a judgment,” he said. “If the state wants the citizenry to respect the rule of law, they must show that example that they also subject themselves to the rule of law.”
Rhodes-Vivour condemned the process as a “charade,” alleging that only a few residents were compensated while the majority were left stranded.
“You see a process that is not properly planned. You see a process that does not have any empathy associated with it.
“What you see with this charade of payments is that a small group of people are selected, and the majority of residents remain uncompensated,” he said.
He insisted that genuine urban renewal must begin with the local government, involving transparent dialogue with affected communities and concrete relocation plans.
“Surely, if you have a proper plan, it will start at the local government level where interactions will be done with these communities,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
“There should be a proper proposal for how they will move these people. Where are they being moved to? All these will be done with conversations, payments made before these demolitions start to happen.”
Rhodes-Vivour also decried what he called a recurring class bias in Lagos urban development, saying poor communities are routinely displaced for luxury projects they cannot afford.
“We cannot constantly be pushing people aside for development,” he said. “Where is the intentionality to house the poor that cannot afford to live in N150 million flats or townhouses, which make up the majority of Lagos, and which serve most of the staffing requirements to power this economy?”
He urged the government to adopt inclusive housing strategies, similar to social housing models in developed nations, ensuring that all citizens benefit from urban renewal.
He said, “You can have inclusive development. Nobody’s against development, but people should also have a private space. There can be beauty in low-cost housing. There can be beauty in that intentionality.”
Rhodes-Vivour further said that the demolitions reflect “anti-poor policies” that disproportionately affect the vulnerable.
“I, 100% agree that these are anti-poor policies. The destruction disproportionately affects the most vulnerable while benefiting the wealthy and well-connected.”
He criticised the state government agencies for neglecting their oversight duties during the construction of the very structures now being demolished.
According to him, “When a government has sat back and a building has gone all the way to the roof, and they don’t punish themselves for that neglect, why is it always the citizen that pays the price for their incompetence? That is very wrong.”
On compensation, Rhodes-Vivour described the sums offered to affected residents as grossly inadequate.
“When you’re giving somebody N2million or N3 million, how long does that last for rent in Lagos?” he questioned.
“You go and get a self-contained, and now, even including agent fees, you are already at N1 million.”
He called for innovative housing funding, suggesting that part of the revenue from luxury developments be channeled into affordable housing projects.
He noted, “Those funds are supposed to be used directly to fund low-cost housing, so that you’re not just taking care of the rich; you’re also taking care of the people that can’t afford it.”