1. Back by popular demand (ok fine. like 8 people requested this) today we’re gonna talk about Gentrification, #EndSARS & the 1004 Estate in Lagos...ISSA THREAD!!

2. Like everyone else, the recent #EndSARS protests have got me thinking about our rights. The past month has brought to light how we have just been tolerating our so called govt. Yrs of bad govt means there's been v little accountability on their part but now our mumu don do

3. The ENDSARS protests were IMPACTFUL bc we watched Nigerians across all walks of life come together with one voice demanding one thing. We were on the streets because we all collectively believed no Nigerian should lose their life at the hands of ‘law enforcement’.

4. ENDSARS was important because now we have opened the door to discuss other aspects of our fundamental rights as citizens of Nigeria. I’m particularly interested in housing. So pls let’s start the conversations now.

5. Access to adequate shelter is an indisputable human right and yet we know not everyone is afforded the dignity of this. Nigerian cities are extremely unequal and the reasons for this are very complex but that does not mean we shouldn’t try to understand them.

6. First, we need to make ourselves familiar with a funky term called ‘Gentrification’. The word can be broken down into two. ‘Gentry’ means the ‘upper class of people’ & ‘fication’ means making. So, ‘Gentrification’ simply means ‘making something suitable for the upper class’.

7. Common sense will tell us that if we are making something suitable for the higher classes. Well, dat meins dat we are probably making it hard for the middle class and unbearable for the lower class. Let’s take Lagos for example.

8. After the British packed their load and left us in 1960, the Nigerian govt decided they were going to take care of the people and provide housing. Lagos was the capital back then so a bunch of housing projects were commissioned including the iconic 1004 housing estate.

9. At the time it was built in the 70’s, the 1004 estate was apparently the biggest of its type in the country and perhaps even many parts of Africa. It was built to very high standards and at first housed Senators and House of Rep members.

10. After the capital moved to Abuja, civil servants occupied the blocks with various ministries, agencies and parastatals being allocated a number of units each for their employees.

11. Life was pretty decent in the estate, as it was well managed and run by govt. It had schools, supermarkets, places of worship, salons, internet cafes, playgrounds etc. Anything you could think of was available there. According to people who lived there it was wonderful!

12. Anyhow, fast forward to a few decades later in the early 2000’s and surprise surprise the Nigerian govt began to change its tune. The govt began to push for something called the Monetization policy. This was an attempt by the govt to reduce waste and the cost of governance.

13. Governance isn’t my strong point and the policy is a bit complicated but my understanding is that there were certain things which the govt used to provide for civil service workers known as ‘Fringe Benefits’.

14. These included but were not limited to; Residential accommodation, Furniture allowance, Utility allowance, Domestic servants allowance, Motor vehicle fueling etc.

15. Under this Monetisation Policy, the govt would no longer provide all these ‘fringe benefits’ and instead workers would receive additional pay on top of their salaries. Govt claimed that this would motivate workers to be more productive. Appaz govt would also be saving money

16. The govt also decided that maintenance/upkeep of estates such as 1004 was simply too expensive. Instead, it claimed people should just buy their own house joh! As per they are not doing again. They claimed that property ownership was good bc it would increase workers dignity.

17. Since housing maintenance was no longer govt’s agenda, many estates like 1004 fell into disrepair due to lack of maintenance. In short, govt allowed its own housing to declineThe govt then began to sell its housing to private developers and civil servants who lived in them

18. Some civil servants could afford their homes and so they bought them off the government, but many simply couldn’t. All of a sudden, many hardworking civil servants who had lived in govt owned housing for decades were facing the threat of homelessness.

19. In 1004 estate, many residents even complained that they were never even offered the option to buy their apartment. The real estate industry in Lagos was booming at the time, so the govt preferred to sell the 1004 housing estate to private developers.

20. Hundreds of families who called it home for years were simply given a date to move out by i.e. May 2005. Many residents opposed the sale and some even took the govt to court but they were all forcefully evicted by December 2005.

21. It was bought by a group of private investors for N7 billion & they immediately set to renovating and upgrading it. They remodelled the exterior, increased some unit sizes and replaced all the fittings. Even the elevators that would always break down before were upgraded!

22. Last I checked, 1004 estate apartments now retail anywhere between 20 to 40 million Naira. This figure is likely higher nowadays. Maybe to afford a unit at 1004 now, one should just kuku be earning dollars.

23. Even with the added pay gained from the monetisation policy, the civil servants who once called 1004 home cannot even dream of affording a unit in the area now. Many were simply forced to move to neighborhoods far away, severing longstanding relationships and community ties.

24. Commuting distance to jobs and schools multiplied for residents as they moved farther away from Victoria Island. Some families were even completely priced out of Lagos altogether, opting instead to return to their hometowns altogether.

25. While the economic benefits cannot be overlooked, the trauma and dislocation caused by the gentrification of the 1004 estate and neighbouring area caused more harm than good.

26. In conclusion, 1004 was a case of government led gentrification whereby the working class population was replaced by the upper class. This phenomena is dangerous as it widens the gap between rich and poor even more in Lagos where that gap is already dangerously wide

27. 1004 housing estate and many other govt built schemes were purpose built to house Nigerians from all walks of life. Now, these places have been gentrified and are only conducive for the ultra rich.

28. So, as we call on the govt to reform policing & law enforcement, we also need to call on them to reform housing policy and provide equitable and accessible housing for Nigerians from all walks of life, not only the upper classes.

29. This phenomena is bad for the working class populations in Lagos but is even worse for the inhabitants of Lagos who live in slums/squatter settlements. They constantly have their homes torn down by the government in an effort to maintain a 'perfect' image for investors.

30. The subject is a very heavy one as the trauma of watching your home being torn down is hard for many of us to imagine. Perhaps I'll make a thread about that on another day.

31. All in all, I hope this thread was enlightening and that you've learnt something from it!