Who belongs in a city?

Neuwirth's perspective on informal settlements, informed by years of not just researching them but actually living in them, is a really well-written shift from the usual discourse that conflates informality with illegality or, even more short-sightedly, irrelevance. Too little information about how slums actually function is generated from the inside of them, which means that what is generally known by the rest of us is at best incomplete and often simply inaccurate. Neuwirth's investigation into the communities, economies, social structures and survival mechanisms of slums around the world constitutes essential reading for anyone with an interest in the future of our cities.

I wrote this article in response to the first wave of attacks on Otodo Gbame, which displaced about 30,000 people. At the time of writing, there was a court injunction against the demolitions; later, more demotions would occur despite the government being in court-ordered mediation with the community. It is heartbreaking that almost a year later, the people have been neither resettled nor compensated. However, the response from everyday Lagosians and other people who donated money and relief items to the displaced residents, and who continue to be engaged with the issues, gives me hope.

This article highlights the ruling which declared the demolition of Otodo Gbame unconstitutional.

The government's official position on their role in the demolition changed from moment to moment prior to the ruling in favor of the people of Otodo Gbame. In this particular article, their official position was that they had nothing to do with it, blaming imaginary tribalistic tensions instead.