A child rights activist, Betty Abah, has described the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as a man who does not listen.
Abah, the executive director of the Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection (CEE-HOPE), was reacting to a programme of the state governor tagged ‘Sanwo-Olu Listens.’
She said the Sanwo-Olu Listens was a sharp contrast to the manner the Lagos State governor treated the displaced residents of a Lagos slum, Monkey Village, whose homes were demolished on New Year eve by land grabbers aided by officials of the state government and without any form of notice.
A displaced resident of Monkey Village looking helpless
“I saw the hashtag #SanwoOluListens and I am wondering if it’s the same Lagos that I live in. Your govt colluded with land grabbers to violently evict the poor people of Monkey Village a month ago. Despite clear evidence, #SanwoOluRefusedToListen. They’re still out in the cold,” Abah said via her Twitter handle.
She added: “How do we say #SanwoOluListens when your govt moves all its machinery into a poor community, destroys a centre of learning for vulnerable kids, destroy water facility of the impoverished community, and continue to JUSTIFY THE ATROCITY COMMITTED AT MONKEY VILLAGE?”
She said the state government, seeking to justify itself, later set up a panel and without listening to the evicted residents of Monkey Village and the landowners, came out with a bold claim that it heard from all the parties.
“Lagos government set up a KANGAROO panel and @ceehopenigeria went with representatives of evicted Monkey Village community and the land owner on whose land we put our facilities. WE WERE SHUT OUT OF THE PANEL. Days later d ‘VERDICT’ came out–THEY HEARD FROM ALL PARTIES! And u say #SanwoOluListens ?
“Monkey Village WAS NOT A SUBJECT OF LITIGATION. It’s a parcel of plot nearby owned by client of Barrister Onyekachi Ubani. After taking it over with A FAKE COURT JUDGEMENT, the thugs aided by policemen, machinery from @followlasg (Lagos government), MOVED IN AND DEMOLISHED MONKEY VILLAGE. How does #SanwoOluListens ?
“Rather than MITIGATE THIS DISASTER, engage the stranded people, call d=the POLITICAL LAND GRABBERS to order,
“@jidesanwoolu and his officials are resorting to propaganda. WHATEVER YOUR REASON, YOU PUSHED THE POOR INTO THE STREETS WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE and someone says #SanwoOluListens?” she queried.
She said the claim by the Lagos State Commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotosho, that Monkey Village was cleared of HOODLUMS was hollow in the face of a strong contradiction.
She said: “For your information sir, one of the GEMS at Monkey Village is Aisha Saleh, age 15, a genius invited to represent Nigeria at UN International conference in Geneva 2019, a polyglot who speaks five languages. How #SanwoOluListens,” she asked again.
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