THISDAYonline

The Residents of Maroko in Eti-Osa Local Government in Lagos State who were evicted from their homes 12 years ago, have appealed to the Federal Government to come to their assistance by resettling and compesating them for the loses they incurred in the course of their ejection.

The appeal was contained in a document made available to THISDAY by the leader of the Maroko Evictees Committee, Mr. Samuel A Aiyeyemi, during the 12th Annual Remembrance Day of the historic mass demolition of Maroko at the Maroko Information Centre, Ilasan Housing Estate, Lekki Beach.

Aiyeyemi reiterated that since their forceful ejection, many of them had suffered untold hardships ranging from lack of accommodation, impairment of their children education, economic hardship, sickness and losts of their landed property.

He said 10,000 houses were destroyed and 300,000 residents rendered homeless while no fewer than 25,000 people lost their lives as a result of the demolition exercise effected by the Lagos State administration of Brig-General Raji Alagbe Rasaki (rtd).

He explained that in the past three years, there was no effort on the part of the present state government to assist them, adding that Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu even prevented both the Federal Government and some international bodies from helping them.

''I can only report today that for the three years into civil rule, we of the Maroko Evictees Committee, have not seen anything done by the Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu to abate our problems. Rather he has even prevented both the Federal Government and some international bodies from helping us,'' he said.

While thanking President Olusegun Obasanjo administration for recognising that many Nigerians like them had suffered raw deals from the hands of the past military rulers and had pledged to right the wrongs, the leader of the evictees wished that the government could resettle them in housing units, just as it did to those who were dislodged when Abuja became the federal capital.

He also demanded that the Government should compensate them for the revenue they lost as rents for 12-room house, in the past twelve years, provision of facilities for the education of their children and payment of equitable general compensation for other loses.