Festac Residents Protest Alleged Sale of Sewage, Water,Park Facilities -

Residents of Festac Town in Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, under the Take Back Festac Movement, have protested the alleged sale of critical public infrastructure in the estate. They warned that selling sewage treatment plants, waterworks, parks and buffer zones poses serious environmental and public health risks.

The group accused officials of the Federal Housing Authority of disposing of facilities originally designated for public use. During a peaceful protest on Saturday, the group’s president, Valentine Uduebo, described the situation as a threat to the survival of the estate and called on Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and President Bola Tinubu to intervene.

Uduebo said several facilities had been sold, including sewage treatment plants at the junction of 5th Avenue and 2nd Avenue, near 3rd Gate on 7th Avenue, on 41 Road, on 4th Avenue by 7th Avenue, and on 21 Road by 201 Road. He also claimed the waterworks on 22 Road had been sold.

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He alleged that new owners planned to build food-related businesses on land meant for sewage management.

He further accused authorities of imposing excessive charges on property owners and subjecting residents to multiple fees by different agencies.

“Residents are being subjected to unlawful fees in the name of the president. People pay building approval fees to Lagos State and are still required to make additional payments to the FHA. Residents see this as double taxation and extortion,” he said. The group appealed for an investigation into the transactions and for sanctions against those responsible.

A medical practitioner and resident, Dumebi Owa, warned that converting sewage facilities could trigger disease outbreaks. She said sewage infrastructure plays a vital role in disease prevention and that Nigeria’s healthcare system might struggle to cope with outbreaks due to the migration of medical professionals.

She also expressed concern over the sale of parks and green areas, saying it could worsen climate change and environmental degradation.

Another resident, James Ibekwe, who has lived in Festac since 1977, described the transactions as a violation of the estate’s original master plan and called on the Federal Government to reverse them. The Chairman of the Oodua People’s Congress in Amuwo-Odofin, Monsuru Salam, added that a security post on 51 Road serving three zones had been sold, and urged federal and state governments to intervene.

The spokesperson for the Federal Housing Authority, Kenneth Chigelu, dismissed the protest and said many issues raised predated the current administration. He argued that the central sewage system collapsed long ago, the waterworks had not supplied water for years, and that government budgets alone could not maintain Festac. He advised residents to channel complaints through the recognized Festac Town Residents Association and the FHA’s Abuja and zonal offices.