FESTAC residents protest alleged sale of estate facilities

Residents of Festac Town in the Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos State, under the aegis of the Take Back Festac Movement, have raised the alarm over the alleged sale of critical public infrastructure in the estate.

The residents, during a peaceful protest in the estate on Saturday, identified some of the facilities as including sewage treatment facilities, waterworks, parks and buffer zones, warning that the development poses serious environmental and public health risks.

The group also accused officials of the Federal Housing Authority of disposing of facilities originally designated for public use.

Speaking during the protest, the president of the group, Valentine Uduebo, described the situation as a threat to the survival of the estate and called on the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and President Bola Tinubu to intervene.

Valentine alleged that several other public facilities across the estate had also been sold.

While consulting other stakeholders in the estate across the affected facilities, he said, “We are living in bondage here. Our lives are under threat.

“This facility behind us is a sewage management facility that serves residents in this area, yet it has been sold. The new owners intend to build food-related businesses on land meant for sewage management.

“The affected facilities include sewage treatment plants located at the junction of 5th Avenue and 2nd Avenue, near the 3rd Gate on 7th Avenue, on 41 Road, on 4th Avenue by 7th Avenue, and on 21 Road by 201 Road.”

He further claimed that the Waterworks facility located on 22 Road had also been sold.

He said, “All these facilities have been sold. What is disturbing is that some people are claiming that the president approved these sales. That is not true. The president’s name is being used to justify actions that are causing serious harm to the community.

“Our children’s playgrounds and parks are disappearing. These spaces were created for recreation and community life, but they are being sold off without consideration for residents,” he added.

Valentine also accused authorities of imposing excessive charges on property owners in the estate.

He further alleged that residents were being subjected to multiple charges by different government agencies.

“Residents are being subjected to unlawful fees in the name of the president. People are charged huge sums for basic approvals and consent fees when buying property. We believe the president’s name is being wrongly used to justify these charges.

“People pay building approval fees to Lagos State and are still required to make additional payments to the FHA. Residents see this as double taxation and extortion,” he said.

The activist appealed to the president to order an investigation into the transactions and sanction those responsible.

“We appreciate the ongoing road projects in Festac, but we also need our safety, our environment and our sanity restored. We are asking the President to investigate these sales and stop the disposal of community assets meant for residents,” he added.

Valentine said residents had repeatedly raised concerns with the FHA but were dissatisfied with the responses received.

“We have asked the FHA several times why these facilities are being sold. Their responses usually point to the Federal Government, but residents are not satisfied with these explanations,” he said.

A medical practitioner and resident of the estate, Dumebi Owa, warned that the alleged sale and possible conversion of sewage facilities could trigger serious health consequences.

Owa, who said she had spent about 40 years in the healthcare sector, stressed that sewage infrastructure played a vital role in disease prevention and environmental protection.

“Sewage is meant to be properly managed and disposed of. If it is not properly handled, we risk outbreaks of diseases and serious public health challenges,” she said.

She noted that Nigeria’s healthcare system might struggle to cope with widespread disease outbreaks due to the migration of medical professionals abroad.

The physician also expressed concern over the alleged sale of parks and green areas, saying such actions could worsen the effects of climate change and environmental degradation.

“A healthy population is essential for a healthy nation. Economic growth cannot be sustained if our health indicators continue to decline,” she added.

Another resident, James Ibekwe, who said he had lived in Festac Town for nearly five decades, described the alleged transactions as a violation of the estate’s original master plan.

Ibekwe called on the Federal Government to reverse the transactions, insisting that the sales were unlawful.

He said, “Those of us who have lived here since 1977 know the original master plan of Festac. The areas being mentioned today were clearly designated for specific public purposes. This is not a place any reasonable person would consider selling.

“We want the relevant authorities to act responsibly and revoke these sales. These sales are illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, and should have no legal effect.”

The Chairman of the Oodua People’s Congress in Amuwo-Odofin, Monsuru Salam, also accused the Federal Housing Authority of selling a security post on 51 Road, which, according to him, serves three security zones out of the 66 zones in Amuwo-Odofin.

He argued that facilities and properties allegedly sold by the FHA remained assets that local security operatives continued to protect on behalf of residents.

“The FHA must be investigated because the security spot we manage on 51 Road, which serves three zones, has been sold. As a security agency protecting lives and property here, do they expect us to simply watch as these facilities disappear?” he asked.

“Everything in Amuwo-Odofin means a lot to us. The FHA should even be supporting local security efforts because many of the properties being sold are still part of what we are securing,” he added.

The OPC leader appealed to both the federal and state governments to intervene and engage the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Council over the matter.

“We are appealing to the government to look into these issues and also work through the local government, which is the closest level of government to the people, so that proper explanations can be provided,” he added.

When contacted on Saturday for a reaction, the spokesperson for the Federal Housing Authority, Kenneth Chigelu, dismissed the protest and questioned why the organisers had not formally presented their concerns to the authority before taking their grievances to the media.

According to him, many of the issues being raised by the protesters were not new and had been the subject of discussions for years.

Chigelu maintained that the authority engages with recognised residents’ representatives and said the FHA was unfamiliar with the group behind the protest.