The Real Issues Behind Makoko Demolitions And What They Reveal As expected, Makoko's ‘power line corridor’ demolitions have sparked familiar reactions. Outrage on one side, justification on the other. The official explanation for the demolitions is clear: ‘Safety’ But the deeper conversation Lagos keeps avoiding is: ⁉️ Why do so many people live in unsafe places to begin with? My full opinion: Think about it... Nobody enjoys living under power lines, on the lagoon, because they enjoy danger. They do so because proximity to opportunity outweighs the risks. What this situation really exposes is a structural mismatch between economic growth and economic inclusion. And slums are simply the response to this lack of inclusion. As Lagos grows economically, its population grows. But unfotunately, housing supply, infrastructure, and urban planning struggle to keep up… So people fill the gaps themselves. Then, informality at its core, is a direct proof that a city can not separate housing from livelihoods. That's why slums almost always appear close to opportunities. 📍 Near transport corridors, job clusters, markets, and economic activity. So, if people are displaced or relocated to distant areas with weaker connectivity and fewer economic prospects, what’s lost isn’t just shelter. ❌️ It’s income, time, and dignity. These kinds of “safety enforcement” without welfare planning only creates a cycle: 🚩 Displacement ➡️ Slum somewher else ➡️ Another demolition ➡️ Repeat 🔄 Demolitions or displacement, then becomes a continuous cylcle of reactive solutions to systemic failure. Breaking that cycle requires more than law enforcement. It (at least) requires: 👉Housing policy that acknowledges that not everyone is able to own a home. Welfare-oriented housing, rental housing, and affordable, well-located shelter must be part of the conversation. 👉Transit-oriented development… So access to opportunity is not concentrated in a few corridors while the rest of the city is disconnected. Urban safety is essential, but not without urban welfare. Same way removing visible poverty will not make cities prosperous. Need safer cities? Then, plan cities that don't force people to choose between danger and destitution.