Why Festac Residents Are Protesting Over Alleged FHA Demolition
Kehinde Adeleye
Tension is building in Festac Town, Lagos, as residents and community stakeholders prepare for a peaceful protest against the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, following the alleged demolition of part of the estate’s perimeter fence and gateway.
The development has raised broader questions among residents about the management of Festac Town, particularly allegations involving public utility spaces, land allocation and developments within the estate.
The residents, under the banner of Bring Back Festac, said the demolished section was not merely a boundary wall but part of a public reserve containing electricity and power infrastructure serving Festac Town and adjoining communities.
The planned protest was triggered by an alleged operation in which persons identified as FHA officials, accompanied by armed police personnel, reportedly pulled down a substantial portion of the perimeter fence and removed the estate gateway.
Residents said the action came as a shock and has heightened concerns over what they described as attempts to alter or dispose of spaces originally designated for public use.
President of Bring Back Festac, Valentine Uduebo, called for calm among residents while announcing plans to mobilise the community for a peaceful demonstration at the FHA headquarters.
> “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,” Uduebo said.
A resident who witnessed the alleged demolition said a large contingent of security personnel and FHA officials was deployed to the area.
The resident claimed that about 3 buses carrying armed police officers arrived alongside FHA officials before the demolition began.
> “They came here in numbers. I saw 3 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,” the resident said.
The resident also disputed any suggestion that the demolished fence was a recent construction by residents, insisting that the structure had existed for years.
> “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,” he said.
According to him, residents had held several meetings over the issue but were becoming increasingly concerned about what they described as the need for stronger action.
> “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 added.
Beyond the demolition, Bring Back Festac alleged that residents were being subjected to extortion and raised concerns over the alleged sale of public utility areas and approvals for developments within the estate.
The allegations have intensified scrutiny from residents who fear that continued changes to spaces within Festac could affect the estate’s original planning structure and access to essential infrastructure.
However, the allegations by the residents have not been independently established, and the FHA’s response to the specific claims was not contained in the information available for this report.
For now, residents are calling for answers and transparency from the authorities, while the Bring Back Festac group says it is consulting with community stakeholders before announcing the date for the proposed protest.
The group said the demonstration would be peaceful and aimed at drawing the attention of the FHA and other relevant authorities to what residents consider growing threats to the preservation and management of Festac Town.
