May 6, (THEWILL) – Nigerian singer, Yemi Alade, has tackled the Lagos State Government over the recent demolition of buildings at Arowojogbe in Mende estate.
Last weekend, the State Government commenced the demolition of some buildings in Mende estate, sparking outrage from some residents on social media.
An occupant of an affected building claimed the State Government only issued a two-hour notice.
“The Lagos State Government gave us two hours to park out, where do they want us to go? This is the Nigeria we are in, they gave us two hours,” the resident said.
On Sunday, Tokunbo Wahab, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, revealed some of the buildings in the estate were demolished to avert flooding of the entire mainland.
Reacting to the demolition in a flurry of reactions on X, Yemi Alade claimed the State Government is giving Nigerians reasons not to invest in Lagos real estate.
Alade argued that the house demolition would lead to the “devaluation of lands in Lagos”.
The songstress also called on the State Government to refund affected legal buyers the monies paid when purchasing their land.
“Thank you for giving me & millions of others a reason to NOT INVEST IN LAGOS REAL ESTATE @followlasg. Maybe when you are done turning the whole Lagos into a network of Roads with no residents then your MEGA city dreams will be complete. Please start refunding legal buyers at least,” she wrote.
“Just imagine witnessing a tragedy or even worse being a victim and people who were not present debunk your claims. Karma dey boomerang, no worry!!! Na turn by turn.
“Why and how was the building plan of Mende Villa 1 approved in the first place!? @followlasg.
“You have commissioned several building plans in conjunction with Legrande and gained the trust of many. Why dash it all with this one blow? 2hrs notice is trivial!”
Alade continued her outburst in a widely circulated video, where she registered sadness over the losses the demolished house owners suffered.
“Lagos State, what’s going on? Does it make sense that people will invest millions of naira, millions of dollars into real estate, buying houses, buying land and Lagos State would go and be breaking walls, breaking houses, rendering people homeless overnight?
“And it’s done serially. It’s done back to back. Right now, Maryland Mende area is on fire. People are sleeping in their houses, waking up the next day homeless.
“You’re ruining the real estate value of the country, ruining the real estate value of Lagos, making people lose trust not only in the idea of Nigeria but lose hope entirely in the little coin they’ve saved to make their lives worthwhile, to create some kind of generational wealth.
“How is this okay? And why? Does it make sense? Multi-million dollar houses. There is a better way to do things.”
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
