Festac Wicked Demolition: HURIWA Laments Govt Nonchalant Attitude To Protect Citizens Right

BU CHIBUEZE CHUKWUMA, ENUGU

A civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association go of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, lamented what it called a rash of dehumanising, degrading and insensitive demolition of houses by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) at FESTAC Town, Lagos.

A civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, lamented what it called a rash of dehumanising, degrading and insensitive demolition of houses by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) at FESTAC Town, Lagos.

The group said the actions contradict the much-publicised housing agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

According to HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, although there are discordant tones on the validity of the rights of occupancy of those houses demolished, it is unimaginable that an administration with a lot of emphasis on mass housing will at the same time be seen implementing extensive demolition of houses even without permitting the residents to retrieve all their property on the day of the commencement of the demolition.

HURIWA, which argued that the action of the Federal Government towards the citizens must of legal necessity, be humane and should wear a human face, stated that the failure of the government to allow sufficient time for house owners to retrieve their property before demolition, amounted to cruel and dehumanising treatment.

The rights advocacy group stated that from the groundswell of emotions that poured out during the demolition by the victims, what has emerged is that the Federal Government, through the Federal Housing Authority, crudely treated citizens with no compassion.