Èkó ò ní bàjé! (“Lagos must not spoil”) The Socio-Environmental Costs of Land Reclamation in Lagos, Nigeria: A Case Study on Eko Atlantic City & Neighbouring Coastline Communities

Abstract

It is thought that coastal land reclamation can lead to greater social disparities in coastal cities already under urban stress, especially in the Global South. The practice is a major urban planning feature in Global South cities, many of which are engaging in urban restructuring under neoliberal and entrepreneurial principles. Informal coastal settlements in these cities are especially susceptible to environmental impacts and social disruption due to coastal land reclamation (UN-Habitat, 2014), as they usually lack physical, political, financial and social resources to recover from environmental disasters. This Major Research Paper (MRP), through the conceptual lens of rights to the city and resilience, conducts a case study on Eko Atlantic City (E.A.C) and neighbouring informal coastline communities in Lagos, Nigeria, to understand the challenges they may face under this socio-political context. This research uses secondary literature, some containing interviews with identified community members, to determine these complications. The analysis found that higher flooding incidences in the studied coastline communities strongly correlate to E.A. C’s construction. Consequently, existing livelihoods and livelihood opportunities there were negatively impacted by the increased floods. The lack of social safety nets to protect local people from such impacts illuminates the dangers of reclamation projects, particularly under neoliberal urbanism which favours elite interests. These findings present an opportunity for further discussion on participation and resilience— in its truest sense— concerning planning, disaster risk reduction, and city transformation in the Global South.