Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), the candidate of the Labour Party in last gubernatorial election, has knocked the Lagos State government over alleged eviction of residents of Otto from their community.
The former governorship candidate raised the alarm on his X account on Friday, saying that the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency had earmarked the community for upgrading.
According to GRV, Idris Salako, the commissioner for physical planning and urban development, had earlier met with the affected community and informed them of the urban renewal intervention project planned for the area in partnership with the British Government’s Future City Nigeria (FCN), a British outfit for Urban Renewal Initiative in Nigeria.
Instead of showing commitment to the upgrading of the infrastructures in the community and improving the standard of living of the people, the government resorted to brute force and dehumanization of citizens, GRV lamented.
He said, “But instead of committing to a plan that would invest in upgrading the infrastructure in the community and improve the living conditions of the people, that have now resorted to brute force. They have shamelessly chosen to criminalize a genuine concern and dehumanize citizens in need of government support. This is irresponsible and unacceptable.”
The Labour Party chieftain said the All Progressives Congress led administration made little investment in affordable housing and failed to address the cost of rent that is choking the poor.
“The APC in Lagos state has made very little investment in affordable housing, neither has it intervened in anyway to manage the cost of rent that is choking young families in Lagos. All it continues to do is pander to the interest of a self serving elite that invest in luxury towers to preserve ill gotten wealth.
“During my campaign, i emphasized the need to commit to regenerating slums by investing in basic infrastructure. I also showcased a plan to improve on the Jankade Housing model to significantly raise the housing stock in Lagos, implement certain rent control measures and introduce a special tax for luxury real estate,” he said.
