The human cost of building the Dubai of Africa

Lagos, Nigeria, is being transformed into a gleaming African metropolis modeled after Dubai, with luxury high-rises and waterfront developments rising at breakneck speed. But this urban renaissance comes at a devastating human cost: tens of thousands of residents from informal settlements like Makoko, Eladjo Tomara, and Owaran Shoki have been violently evicted, often with police and armed enforcers, while court orders protecting their homes are routinely ignored. In January and February 2026, over 20,000 people were displaced in Makoko alone, with at least 11 killed—including a newborn baby whose mother survived a capsized canoe after tear gas was fired. The government claims these demolitions are for public safety, but residents say it’s a calculated effort to erase communities that have lived on the land for generations. Despite legal protections, deeds, and long-standing presence, the state treats them as illegal squatters. The displaced now live under bridges, in rubble, or in overcrowded temporary sites, while the city’s infrastructure—power, water, sanitation—remains inadequate for the majority. At the heart of this crisis is a stark contradiction: Lagos thrives on the labor of the poor, yet systematically expels them to make way for the wealthy. The question remains: can a city grow without sacrificing its most vulnerable? The episode reveals a pattern of state-sanctioned violence disguised as urban renewal. Evictions are not just about land—they’re about erasing people, their history, and their dignity. Grassroots legal efforts by groups like the Justice Empowerment Initiative have secured court injunctions, but enforcement is nonexistent. The government’s narrative of 'development' masks a deeper agenda: to cleanse the city of its poor and create space for elite real estate. As one resident asked, 'Where is she meant to go now?'—a haunting question echoing across a city that refuses to see its people as human.