By ABDULKABIR MUHAMMED

The Movement for a Socialist Alternative (MSA) has accused Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu?s administration of ?making Lagosians homeless? through what it described as state-backed land seizures that favour the rich over the poor.

In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Aj. Dagga Tolar, the group alleged that ongoing demolitions and evictions in communities such as Oworonshoki and Ajeromi-Ifelodun have rendered many families homeless, adding that the exercise has been carried out without valid court orders or respect for tenants? rights.

?The Lagos State government appears more and more comfortable with the forceful eviction and takeover of housing properties belonging to working-class families,? the statement read. ?This brutal displacement is currently ongoing in communities such as Oworonshoki and Ajeromi-Ifelodun, among other neighbourhoods across the state.?

According to the MSA, monarchs in the affected areas, including the traditional rulers of Oworonshoki and Ojora, have allegedly engaged the services of thugs and ?area boys? to intimidate residents and seize properties. The group also accused the Nigerian Police of siding with the oppressors rather than protecting citizens.

?The police have constantly taken sides with the oppressors by ignoring attacks on ordinary citizens, positioning themselves as tools in monarchical structures that do not benefit the working masses,? the statement added.

The MSA further called out the Sanwo-Olu administration for keeping silent despite repeated appeals from residents and civic groups to intervene. ?This criminal silence can only be interpreted to mean that the Lagos State government is in support or coalition with these dastardly acts of robbing commoners to feed the greed,? it said.

Recall that the Lagos State Government had, on Saturday, deployed armed police to facilitate the demolition of some houses in Oworonshoki, leaving several families displaced and traumatised.

However, the MSA has also faulted the Lagos government?s record on housing development, noting that since 1999, successive administrations have failed to replicate the achievements of the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who, as governor in the 1980s, pioneered mass housing for low-income earners.

?It is shameful that after more than seven years in power, the Sanwo-Olu administration cannot point to any major housing project that genuinely benefits the working people of Lagos,? the group said.

The MSA criticised the government for mismanaging the increased revenue accruing from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) since the removal of fuel subsidy, saying that the additional funds have not translated into improved welfare for the masses.

The group therefore called on workers, labour unions, and progressive organisations to unite and resist what it described as anti-people policies in Lagos State.

?These illegal land seizures and forced evictions represent a blatant anti-people policy that prioritises profit and private interests over human dignity,? the MSA said, urging the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other groups to ?take an active stand in condemning and opposing the Lagos State government?s actions.?

The Lagos State Government and the affected traditional rulers were yet to respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.

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