26 September 2025
friday Blues 1-009
LAGOS, NIGERIA: WHEN YOUR INVESTMENT BECOMES
YOUR IMPRISONMENT
by Noble Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje (KSJI)
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LAGOS, NIGERIA: WHEN YOUR INVESTMENT BECOMES YOUR IMPRISONMENT
How politics has turned shops, homes and
livelihoods in Lagos into tools of coercion
In Lagos — Africa’s largest city and economic
nerve centre — a stall, a shopfront, or a rented room is supposed to be a
ladder to dignity. For many residents and small-business owners, that ladder
has become a trap: assets and livelihoods threatened or taken away when
political views or perceived affiliations diverge from those of powerful local
actors. The result is a quiet coercion that damages people’s pocketbooks and
corrodes the public freedoms that make commerce possible, in a democratic and
free country.
THE PROBLEM: ECONOMIC LIFE WEAPONISED
Over the last several years there have been
repeated reports of market tensions, forced evictions, demolitions and episodes
of harassment that, taken together, show how economic life can be made
conditional on political conformity. Informal traders and low-income residents
— who depend on narrow margins and little formal protection — are most exposed.
When a building is marked for demolition, when a market stall is suddenly
targeted by enforcement or mob action, or when a trader is pressured to endorse
a political actor, the stakes are not abstract: they are immediate loss of
inventory, debt, family support and survival. Evidence from recent market
disturbances and eviction campaigns in Lagos points to a pattern of state and
extra-state pressure that disproportionately affects the vulnerable.
EXAMPLES AND PATTERNS SEEN IN LAGOS
News reports and local investigations show
recurring situations where market unrest, demolitions, or disputes intersect
with politics:
1. Market protests and violent disturbances
have led to arrests and heavy-handed responses by security forces — episodes
that not only disrupt trade but create an environment where traders fear
reprisals for perceived political alignment or dissent. Recent unrest at
markets such as Tejuosho and recurring tensions reported across market areas
illustrate this fragile mix of economic grievance and coercion.
2. Demolitions and forced evictions, often
justified by urban planning or “clean-up” campaigns, disproportionately affect
informal traders and low-income residents. Such removals sometimes follow
patterns where those displaced claim inadequate notice, poor compensation, or
selective enforcement — conditions that leave space for perceptions that
political loyalty matters when survival is at stake. Reports of trader stalls
demolished and hundreds displaced have amplified calls for accountability.
3. Targeted attacks on traders from particular
regions or ethnic groups — and petitions to authorities for protection — point
to both communal and political dimensions. When groups petition government for
justice after attacks, it reflects a larger anxiety about safety,
discrimination and political scapegoating.
It’s important to stress these are not always
straightforward, single-cause events: protests, criminality, enforcement and
political intimidation can overlap. But the effect is often the same — the
people who lose are those whose investments are their only safety net.
WHY THIS MATTERS BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL
When political coercion reaches the
marketplace, the harm multiplies:
a. Economic fragility increases. Small traders operate on thin margins and
depend on predictability. If tenure or access to customers is continually at
risk because of politics, businesses cannot plan, borrow, or grow.
b. Social trust erodes. Markets are social spaces. When traders fear
being targeted for their views or origins, networks of cooperation dissolve —
and so does the informal insurance that keeps many livelihoods afloat.
c. Civic space shrinks. When economic punishment is a consequence of
political difference, freedom of expression and association are undermined.
Citizens who fear losing their livelihoods are less able to speak up, vote
freely, or participate in civic life.
d. Rule of law weakens. Selective enforcement or impunity for
politically-motivated harassment damages confidence in institutions and
encourages extra-legal solutions, which in turn produce more instability.
WHAT THE AFFECTED CAN DO — AND WHAT OTHERS
SHOULD DEMAND
For traders, residents and community groups:
- Document
everything. Take photos,
keep receipts, record dates and witnesses. Documentation is the foundation
for any legal or human-rights complaint.
- Form
collective bodies.
Associations (market unions, tenants’ associations) amplify protection and
make it harder for individuals to be singled out.
- Seek legal
aid early. There are NGOs
and pro bono lawyers who handle evictions, unlawful demolitions and rights
violations; early engagement matters.
- Use media
and civic channels. Local
and national media, social platforms and petitions can create visibility;
civil society pressure can blunt impunity.
- Explore relocation and
diversification. Where threats persist,
relocating businesses or residences to other states or regions may be a
strategic safeguard. Many traders already diversify supply chains and
outlets beyond Lagos; doing so spreads risk, opens new markets, and
reduces vulnerability to politically motivated targeting.
For policymakers, civil society and donors:
1.
Protect
tenure and due process. Ensure
demolitions and evictions follow clear, transparent legal processes with fair
notice and compensation.
- Investigate
alleged politically-motivated harassment. Independent inquiries into patterns of
intimidation and violence create accountability.
- Strengthen
market governance. Fair,
transparent market management — not arbitrary task forces — reduces
opportunities for coercion.
- Support
legal empowerment. Fund
clinics and legal aid targeted at informal traders and low-income renters.
- Encourage inter-state
competitiveness. Other states in Nigeria can
seize the moment by positioning themselves as safe, reliable havens for
commerce. By guaranteeing security of tenure, simplifying market
regulations, and offering incentives, these states can attract businesses,
residents, and investors fleeing Lagos’ hostile environment. This not only
protects vulnerable groups but also fosters balanced national economic
growth.
What the Federal Government of Nigeria is Expected
to Do
The federal government is expected to be the referee
that guarantees fairness when states misuse their powers, the protector
of constitutional freedoms, and the facilitator of opportunities across
the federation so that no Nigerian feels imprisoned by their investment.
1. Guarantee Constitutional Rights: The federal government must ensure that
freedoms of expression, association, and political choice — guaranteed under
the 1999 Constitution — are not curtailed by intimidation or economic coercion
at the state level.
2. Strengthen Federal Oversight: Through agencies like the National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) and the Federal Ministry of Justice, the government should
investigate reports of politically motivated harassment, forced evictions, and
targeted attacks on traders and residents.
3. Deploy Federal Security Protection Where
Needed: If state-controlled or
allied forces are used to intimidate or suppress dissent, federal law
enforcement agencies — including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and, if
necessary, federal paramilitary services — should step in to guarantee safety
and prevent abuse of power.
4. Promote Inter-State Economic Balance: The federal government can encourage and
support other states that create hospitable business environments, thereby
reducing over-concentration of economic activity in Lagos and fostering
national development. Incentives, tax breaks, or infrastructure support can
back this.
5. Establish Safe Business Relocation
Frameworks: Federal ministries
(Trade, Industry & Investment; Labour & Employment) should work with
chambers of commerce and state governments to design mechanisms for smooth
relocation of businesses and traders from hostile environments to safer states.
6. Lead by Example: By ensuring federal markets, housing estates,
and federal infrastructure projects in Lagos and elsewhere are managed
transparently and fairly — without political bias — the central government sets
a standard for states to follow.
A PLEA FOR TOLERANT DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE
THAT PROTECTS EVERY RESIDENT
The most basic social contract in a functioning
city is that people who work — however modestly — may do so without fearing
that a political disagreement will cost them their home or livelihood. When
investment becomes imprisonment, democracy is not only a political abstraction:
it’s an economic necessity.
Lagos’ dynamism depends on a billion small
transactions every day. If those transactions are held hostage to politics, the
city loses more than money — it loses legitimacy, trust and the human dignity
that comes from earning one’s living without fear. Protecting that dignity is
not a partisan act; it is the minimum required of a just urban polity.
Noble Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is a distinguished and multidimensional
communicator whose work as a writer, columnist, blogger, reviewer, editor, and
author bridges the intersections of global health, sustainable development,
human rights, climate justice, and governance. He holds a number of chieftaincy
titles including ‘High Chief Ugwumba I of Amaruru’, and ‘Ahaejiejemba Ndigbo
Lagos State’.
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