The Maroko Community’s Quest for Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Recompensation

Human Rights Defender:

Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC), a Nigerian-based non-governmental, non-partisan human rights organization concerned with the promotion and protection of social and economic rights in Nigeria. SERAC seeks to build awareness about economic, social and cultural rights and explores strategies for securing their realization.

Rights:

To adequate housing, healthy environment, adequate standard of living

Marginalized Group:

Forcibly Evicted Persons

Strategies:

Human rights research and reporting, advocacy, legal assistance and litigation, community mobilization, micro-credit initiatives

Problem:

In July 1990, the prevailing military government of Lagos State, Nigeria ordered the demolition of Maroko community. The demolition of the entire community was carried out after a-seven-day quit notice announced over the radio and led to the forced eviction of an estimated 300,000 people from their homes of several decades. The eviction was implemented by armed security agents who physically assaulted residents bold enough to attempt to salvage their property from the rampaging bulldozers. Twenty women were reported raped by the security agents. The Lagos State government made no prior arrangement to resettle or compensate the evictees before commencing the evictions. Faced with homelessness, the evictees took up residence at Ilasan, Ikota and Epe communities (located between 5 and 10 kilometers away from former Maroko community) which comprised abandoned uncompleted buildings built by the Lagos state government; the buildings were in various stages of dilapidation. Several weeks later, the Lagos state government also moved to evict them from the three communities and only reneged following public outcry and condemnation of their actions. Subsequently, the state government officially allocated the buildings to about 2% of the affected landlords (an estimated ten thousand landlords were forcefully evicted) whilst the remaining 98% of the evictees were neither resettled nor compensated.

Action:

Since its inception in May 1995, SERAC has been actively involved in advocacy activities in collaboration with members of former Maroko community under the organization’s Maroko Support Project (MSP) seeking redress for the arbitrary demolition/destruction of the evictees’ houses and property. Under MSP, SERAC provides education, free legal and technical support to the evictees to enable them sustain their struggle for resettlement and compensation. Advocacy activities targeting local and international audience are, therefore, frequently undertaken by SERAC in order to ensure that the Maroko issue remains on the government’s agenda. In 1999, SERAC built an information center at Ilasan, one of the communities where the evictees are currently resettled. The decision to build the information center was guided by the fact that the evictees had no access to news information and could not participate in relevant discussions or respond to issues regarding their eviction even when reported by the media. The information center also serves as a common meeting and craft center for evictees. In 1998, SERAC conducted a research which sought to determine the nature and impact of human rights violations which occur as a result of forced evictions; research revealed (amongst others) that at least 75% of evicted families depend on the women’s petty trade for sustenance. Responding, SERAC introduced its Micro credit project in 1999 under which soft loans are disbursed to the women evictees to sustain their participation in the struggle for adequate compensation and resettlement for their demolished houses as well as provide economic assistance to the evicted families. Recently, on February 8, 2002 SERAC convened a workshop titled, “Maroko: Steps to Resettlement and Resolution” which brought together relevant government officials, town planners, architects and journalists, representatives of Maroko Evictees Committee, human rights activists amongst others. The workshop aimed to explore the many dimensions of socio-economic consequences of Maroko eviction and the continued failure of Lagos state government to resettle and compensate the evictees, as well as analyze and recommend various budgetary policy options to resettle the Maroko evictees.

The human rights framework presented SERAC with the most formidable and objective tool available to alter the social, economic and political power relations that promote and preserve inequality. In addition, SERAC’s work is predicated on the provisions stipulated in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other regional and international treaties.

Following SERAC’s continuing education, technical support and provision of free legal services to Maroko evictees, the evictees have become notably informed, empowered and sensitized on social and economic rights issues to the extent that they frequently initiate advocacy activities aimed at pressurizing the Lagos state government to resettle and compensate them. SERAC’s support activities also led to the establishment of Maroko Evictees Committee which comprises members of former Maroko community involved in the struggle for adequate compensation and resettlement for their destroyed homes and property.

Today, the Lagos state government has officially acknowledged that Maroko community was demolished in error. Consistent advocacy has also ensured that the Maroko issue has remained on Lagos government’s agenda. In 2001, the government clearly stated its intention to finally resettle and compensate Maroko evictees. In addition, SERAC is currently working with the different stakeholders; government officials, members of local communities, human rights advocates etc. to develop a legal framework on forced eviction.