On Workshop: Right to the Land

Bidemi Coker, a researcher ftom the University of Jyväskylä gave us a workshop concerning different stakeholders in housing development in Nigeria. We were divided in five teams, and each team had gotten different texts to read in advance. There were the federal government officials, city planners (building and planning experts, engineers, architects), NGO/community leaders, Social Scientists/Academics, and finally UN-Habitat team. I was in the group of UN-Habitat representatives. In this specific case we had no project yet, bet were to have a consultative role for the government.

The task was to try to find some kind of conclusion on how to develop an area in the outskirts of Lagos. The teams talked first in their own groups, and met then in different constellations. The UN-Habitat group got to choose in witch meeting to participate, and we chose to begin with the federal government officials and city planners, to get some clarity in what's going on. The government representatives were surprisingly totally positive to the slum upgrading, and had no plans to evict all and build houses for city workers, as the introduction to the workshop hinted. The city planners seem to have their idea about what to do, but couldn't really communicate it, when we suggested to look at examples from other countries for the slum upgraiding, they took that as we accused them for not knowing their field. (Though I think that architects around the world rather would plan anything else than housing for poor, even though the social projects have gained some publicity lately, but its still a really marginal thing).

We had thought in our group that UN-Habitat could act as a balancer when it came to how much of the area would be for the poor and how much for government workers apartments. And that we could point out things that could gain both groups: The public transport and infrastructure could be developed, people might find steady jobs, for example as domestic workers or drivers, and also poor areas could be connected to water pipes, drainage and electricity, as it would be required in the close by new apartment blocks. But the positions of each stakeholder group was not so clear, and we had to listen and react. So one thing that teaches is, and that goes for a lot of things in life, that however prepared you try to be, there will always be surprises.