Residents of Festac Town in the Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos have staged a protest over what they describe as the systematic sale and conversion of key public facilities in the estate, warning that the moves threaten both public health and security.
Operating under the banner of the Take Back Festac Movement, the protesters marched through parts of the estate, accusing the Federal Housing Authority of disposing of sewage treatment plants, the central waterworks, parks, playgrounds, buffer zones and even a security post originally reserved for communal use.
President of the group, Valentine Uduebo, said the alleged transactions amount to an assault on the original master plan of the model estate and called on President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene.
He listed sewage treatment sites at the junction of 5th and 2nd Avenues, near 3rd Gate on 7th Avenue, on 41 Road, on 4th Avenue by 7th Avenue and on 21 Road by 201 Road as among facilities allegedly sold, alongside the waterworks on 22 Road. He claimed some buyers plan to build food-related businesses on land originally meant for sewage management.
Uduebo also alleged that residents are being subjected to multiple and excessive charges by different government agencies, describing the practice as double taxation and extortion. He urged the president to order a probe of the land deals and the fee regime and to sanction any officials found culpable.
A medical practitioner and long-time resident, Dr Dumebi Owa, warned that converting sewage infrastructure to commercial use could trigger outbreaks of waterborne and communicable diseases. She argued that Nigeria’s already strained health system might be unable to cope with the consequences, and cautioned that the loss of parks and green areas would deepen environmental degradation.
Another resident, James Ibekwe, who said he has lived in Festac since 1977, insisted the disputed plots were clearly marked for public utilities in the original layout and described the alleged sales as illegal and unconstitutional.
The chairman of the Oodua People’s Congress in Amuwo-Odofin, Monsuru Salam, accused the FHA of selling a security post on 51 Road that serves three security zones, saying local operatives still protect many of the assets now reportedly under private ownership.
Responding, FHA spokesperson Kenneth Chigelu dismissed the protest, questioning the legitimacy of the group and insisting that complaints should come through the recognised Festac Town Residents Association. He argued that many of the issues predate the current administration, noting that the central sewage system and waterworks had long ceased to function and that residents now rely largely on private boreholes.
Chigelu maintained that maintaining Festac Town is financially challenging and urged aggrieved residents to submit petitions or engage the authority through formal channels rather than, in his words, resorting to “trial by the media.”
