Residents and stakeholders in Festac Town, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, have announced plans to hold a peaceful protest at the headquarters of the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, over the alleged demolition of sections of the estate’s perimeter fence.
The residents, under the aegis of Bring Back Festac, claimed that the affected fence forms part of a public reserve that accommodates electricity and power infrastructure serving Festac Town and neighbouring communities.
The planned demonstration followed an incident in which individuals who identified themselves as FHA officials, accompanied by armed police officers, allegedly pulled down a substantial portion of the perimeter fence and removed the estate’s gateway.
The development has generated concerns among residents, who also alleged cases of unlawful extortion, the sale of public utility spaces and other actions they said could adversely affect the interests of the community.
President of Bring Back Festac, Valentine Uduebo, appealed to residents and other stakeholders to remain peaceful and law-abiding, saying the group would announce a date for the planned protest.
Uduebo said, “It is alarming to see the FHA act in such a mannerless way. I can assure you that they have sold that portion of land at 3rd Avenue B Close roundabout. Let us remain calm and law-abiding. We shall propose a day to storm the FHA.”
A resident who spoke about the incident expressed concern over the extent of the alleged demolition, claiming that the exercise also affected the estate’s gateway, lighting facilities and other installations.
“They came here in numbers. I saw three buses, all filled with policemen, armed. They have the FHA officials in them. Look at the fence. This is the area where they have done this. They broke the entire fence. In this area, they broke almost more than 80 per cent of the wall,” he said.
The resident stressed that the structure was not recently erected, insisting that it had existed before the latest development.
“There was a fence here before. This one that is being removed, we didn’t just put it. It was an existing fence here before. Whatever way we need to act, we have talked and we have met several times. We need to act. We need to please act,” he appealed.
Bring Back Festac also alleged that residents had been subjected to unlawful extortion while raising concerns over the alleged disposal of public utility spaces and the approval of development plans.
The group maintained that the planned protest would be peaceful and aimed at drawing the attention of the FHA and relevant authorities to the concerns of Festac residents.
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