All the king's horses and all the king's men, Lagos residents, have no fear as the state governor has a plan to put Lagos back together again. The government's frenzied demolition exercise gathered pace again in the past week as Shogunro Estate, Ogba, was pulled down by bulldozers.

The estate was marked for demolition last September, and residents received compensation. Structures in the estate were already constituting a threat to human lives before the decision to act. Some had started sinking, others were tilting to a side.

The demolition of the estate is the latest in a long list of structures that have come tumbling down as Babatunde Fashola continues on his mission to transform Lagos into a cosmopolitan city like Paris, New York, or London.

While some applaud the government's efforts, others bemoan their loss, as homes and stores get reduced to rubble.

Unaffected by the myriad of opinions, the bulldozer, like some kind of crusading angel of death, carries on.

The demolition exercise, which intensified late last year, has not spared any part of the city. From Oshodi to the high brow Ikoyi, both illegal structures and those constructed on drainage channels have fallen victim.

In the first quarter of last year, Iganmu and Yaba markets were the first to go. By June of the same year, four blocks of 24 flats each were mowed down in the SSS Estate on James George Street, Ikoyi, because officials believed the buildings were in danger of collapsing.

In July, more houses were demolished in Idimu and Ejigbo suburbs because they were sitting on Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation's pipelines. November saw the demolition of almost 150 houses at Ayobo, another suburb; they were not built to government developmental specifications. Hotel Bobby in Onipanu, Iponri, Obalende, and Iyana Ipaja have also not been spared.

It was early in January this year, soon after the holiday season, that bulldozers made one of their strongest impressions yet by sweeping through the famous Oshodi.

It was a sign of things to come. Aswani, Ketu, Ijesha, Okota, Mushin have all had a dose of government's bitter pill. And just on Thursday, Pen Cinema, Iju road, Agege, went down. Even, Lamb's blood on door posts would be too late for traders at Sabo, Ikorodu, and Ikotun markets, as government has already issued notices to traders to vacate the premises.

In Victoria Island, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) building on Ahmadu Bello Way, NEPA House on NEPA Close, and more buildings along Festival Road, Bishop Aboyade Cole Street, Balarabe Musa Crescent, and Ademola Adetokunbo Street are on the list for demolition. The state is removing these structures because they were built on drainage paths.

Although it seems that these demolitions are bitter pills to swallow, the state's plan is to improve the lives of residents of the city. The demolition is necessary in order to give birth to improved markets, decongested and cleaner roads, and new constructions like the planned upgrade of the four-lane Lagos-Badagry Expressway to a ten-lane freeway with a light rail track and a motorcycle route.

Who would have thought that flowers would one day adorn the Oshodi landscape? We'll find out as soon as the state's beautification work there is completed. Lagosians can bid their fears bye-bye. The future, which looks beautiful despite all the rubble, is here.

http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/2252178-147/Illegal_buildings_have_a_great_fall.csp