‘80% Of Lagos People Are Poor’, Says Rhodes-Vivour

African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said that 80 per cent of Lagos State residents were poor, faulting development policies that, according to him, continued to exclude the majority of residents from the benefits of urban growth.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News Channel against the backdrop of the demolition of buildings at Jakande Estate by the Lagos State Government, Rhodes-Vivour described the exercise as lawless, anti-poor and exclusionary, insisting that ”Lagos State is 80% Poor.”

The former Labour Party governorship candidate in the 2023 general election said his intervention was informed by personal experience at the demolition site, where he allegedly witnessed violence and disregard for the rule of law by operatives of a state task force.

“I went to Ilasan and saw, first-hand, the brutality. In front of me, they beat this man to coma. In front of me. The so-called task force of Lagos State threatened to beat me and started beating people next to me mercilessly,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour further alleged that an engineer identified as Umaru was detained for three days and brutalised, adding that tear gas was fired at him during the confrontation.

“This is the violence that has come to define this government. When you have a lawless government that does not even follow court injunctions, that is a serious problem,” he stated.

While noting the Lagos State Government’s promise of compensation to affected residents, he dismissed the proposed amount as inadequate.

“They are talking about compensation of N11.2 million. N11.2 million cannot afford a two or three-bedroom apartment in that area today,” he said.

He accused the government of invoking the Land Use Act to dispossess residents for private interests rather than genuine public benefit.

“Section 28 of the Land Use Act allows land acquisition for overriding public interest, but what we are seeing is land being taken for private individuals who will only build more expensive housing,” he argued.

According to him, the demolition exercise would worsen homelessness and deepen the cost-of-living crisis in the state.

“You now have a huge number of homeless young men walking the streets without shelter. Development is constantly at the exclusion of the poor,” Rhodes-Vivour said.

He noted that many residents of Jakande Estate had lived in the area for over 20 years and possessed valid title documents.

“You are destroying their properties, inflicting violence on them, and not compensating them fairly. Where are they going to go to?” he asked.

Rhodes-Vivour maintained that he was not opposed to development but called for empathy, fairness and inclusive urban planning.

“Cities must grow and develop, but it should not be at the detriment of the poor,” he said, highlighting the income gap in the state.

“To afford N11.2 million in rent, you need to be earning almost N2 million a month. How many poor Lagosians earn N2 million a month?”

He concluded that development without justice and inclusion would continue to marginalise the majority of Lagos residents.