Building Demolitions: Gov’t Must Show Compassion

The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has urged government at all levels to act responsively and show compassion to the poor regarding ongoing building demolitions across the country.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, the former Anambra State governor suggested the measures that could be employed in the face of violation of rules or building codes instead of aggravating citizens’ hardship.

Obi wrote: “What a responsive government should be doing under the current harsh economic conditions in the country is to come up with measures aimed at alleviating the people’s hardships and to carry out measures that will take more people out of poverty.

“Even if there are some violations as the governments are claiming, this critical time is not auspicious for such an exercise knowing the hardship in the land and the consequences it will have on the poor who are struggling to make ends meet with their little resources.

“The poor in our midst who are putting their meager resources are going through very severe financial stress that should not be multiplied further. In some cases, the properties being demolished are the lifetime savings and retirement abodes of the aged and incapacitated.

“My appeal therefore is for the respective governments involved in this act to consider the hardship in the country and try and put a human face to their actions. While we should enforce sensible regulations, all actions of government must show compassion.”