Tinubu Celebrates Makoko Advocate as Nigerians Recall Brutal Evictions and Demolition Under His Watch as Lagos State Governor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come under fire after hosting global chess advocate Tunde Onakoya at Aso Rock despite a documented legacy of forced evictions and urban displacements in Lagos, including the 2005 demolition of Makoko that left thousands homeless and continues to define hardship in the community Onakoya now uplifts.

While the presidency hailed the visit as a moment of youth empowerment and national pride, critics say it reflects a more profound hypocrisy: the celebration of resilience born from state-enabled trauma.

Makoko: A Community Bulldozed, Then Applauded

Makoko’s slum, nestled on the Lagos Lagoon, has long symbolised urban neglect and grassroots survival. But for many of its residents, the scars of forced evictions remain.

In April 2005, bulldozers rolled into the heart of Makoko, destroying homes, churches, and a medical centre. Amnesty International documented the displacement of approximately 3,000 residents over three days, noting widespread human rights abuses.

One such voice was Miriam Usman, a 30-year-old woman who gave birth amidst the rubble:

My baby boy is four days old. I delivered him here after my house had been demolished. Only my mother was here to help me, and the boy has not seen a doctor or nurse yet. My husband ran away after the bulldozers came in… I have no money.— Amnesty International interview, May 2005.

According to the 2006 Amnesty report (AFR 44/001/2006), the evictions were carried out without adequate notice, consultation, or resettlement and, in some cases, involved beatings and destruction of all personal belongings. Many evictees, including children, suffered injuries from law enforcement’s use of excessive force.

The evictions were part of a broader pattern initiated under Tinubu’s administration, the report stated. Authorities acted in violation of international housing rights laws, with no due process or accountability.

The clearance was executed to enforce a court ruling that handed the land to a private owner yet thousands were left destitute, many taking shelter in school classrooms, including new mothers and displaced families.

Tunde Onakoya: Repairing What Government Destroyed

Tunde Onakoya, who hails from modest beginnings in Lagos, rose to prominence through his nonprofit Chess in Slums Africa, which offers education, mentorship, and hope to street children, many from Makoko. His historic Guinness World Record chess marathon win in New York gained global acclaim.

SEE TWEET: https://x.com/tunde_od/status/1932348811025772994?s=46

While Onakoya’s recognition is widely celebrated, many Nigerians see Tinubu’s gesture as deeply ironic:

Tunde is patching the wounds the state caused, Tinubu may smile for the cameras, but he has never accounted for the lives upended by his policies.

The President and the Past He Denies

During his tenure as Lagos governor from 1999 to 2007, Tinubu’s administration aggressively pursued “megacity” transformations that often marginalized informal communities. Though not in office during the 2012 Makoko water settlement evictions, the 2005 demolitions happened on his watch.

The Amnesty report described a Lagos government that prioritized private developers and landowners over the poor, often enforcing urban changes with “brutal efficiency and zero accountability.”

You can’t bulldoze lives and then later clap for the survivors, one displaced Makoko resident told this reporter. It’s insulting.

What Comes Next?

While President Tinubu praises figures like Onakoya, activists insist on more than symbolic recognition. They demand a public apology, reparations for displaced families, and an end to policies that criminalize poverty.

“Makoko doesn’t need a photo-op, It needs justice and the political will to make slums livable instead of disposable.”

As the Tinubu administration embraces one of Makoko’s most inspiring sons, the community’s pain still lingers beneath the photo-ops. Amnesty International’s chilling documentation of forced evictions under his leadership remains unaddressed. Until that history is confronted, gestures like this will continue to ring hollow to those who were left behind in the dust.

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