In multiple videos obtained by SaharaReporters, distressed occupants of the affected buildings, many of whom have spent over a decade serving the state government, described the planned demolition as a heartless betrayal of public servants.
Tension has gripped the Alagbaka Civil Service Quarters in Akure, the Ondo State capital, as civil servants, some confined to wheelchairs and others widowed, face the threat of homelessness following Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s decision to demolish 156 residential homes built initially for state workers.
In multiple videos obtained by SaharaReporters, distressed occupants of the affected buildings, many of whom have spent over a decade serving the state government, described the planned demolition as a heartless betrayal of public servants.
One of the affected civil servants, who is in a wheelchair, Pastor Christopher, recounted his ordeal.
He said: “I’m a civil servant. I’m an information officer at the Ministry of Information and Orientation, Ondo State, Akure. I am in a wheelchair because I have no leg. What I have are artificial legs. I can’t walk. I have been a civil servant since 2012. I lost my legs during my years of active service. This is because I was always on the road. Anywhere my work took me to, I went there. I used my experience to project the image of the government. I have been serving the government all my life, projecting their image in a wonderful way.
“In the course of my service, I was attacked by chronic diabetes. I was trying to manage and to serve until it got to a climax that my legs were amputated. If that happens—that the government eventually demolishes our houses—I will say it is my God that is attacked. The Bible says that whoever oppresses the poor reproaches his maker.”
Another female civil servant, struggling with a disability and burdened by the responsibilities of single motherhood, pleaded with the government for mercy.
She said: “I’m a civil servant working at Ondo State Medical Service Emergency Agency. I have one leg; my second leg is affected. My husband died four years ago; I have four children that I’m taking care of. God is my only helper. We hear that the government is planning to demolish our houses. They should have mercy on us. “There is nowhere to take our children. I have not built any house; there is no place I will go after eviction. My blood pressure has increased because of this issue; we don’t want to be homeless.”
Her voice trembled as she continued: “And this is coming at the time when it is even difficult to get food to eat. The little salary I’m getting from the government is what I’m using to train my children. One of them gained admission into a higher institution recently. I could not afford the school fees, so it would be bad if the government added the issue of housing to our problems. I don’t know where to get the money for another house.”
Another civil servant, Pastor Samuel, expressed deep despair over the planned eviction.
He said: “I have heard about the planned forceful eviction. This has become something sad for all of us. The issue has been giving me sleepless nights. If they force us to leave here, there is no place we want to go because there is no alternative.
“And even how much does the government plan to compensate us with that will be enough? With my condition, it will be difficult and painful for me to live with my family if we are evicted.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the buildings, located in Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the Civil Service Quarters in Alagbaka, were constructed in 1976 during the administration of the late Governor Adekunle Ajasin. The purpose was to provide affordable housing for civil servants, with tenants paying subsidised rent deducted from their salaries: N5,000 monthly for a three-bedroom flat and N4,000 for two-bedroom units.
However, the current administration under Governor Aiyedatiwa has marked the entire quarters for demolition, issuing eviction notices to the occupants without alternative housing arrangements or clear compensation plans.
A government insider accused the administration of plotting to grab the land under the guise of urban renewal.
“The SSA to the governor on infrastructure is the one spearheading this. You know the deal is for them to demolish these buildings and then sell the land to themselves. Alagbaka is a hot place, the centre of attraction in Akure. The land is very expensive there. The high and mighty have acquired all the areas, so the remaining places are the quarters. Now they want to force us out to convert it to luxury property.”
Multiple civil servants vowed to resist what they described as “an unjust, anti-people move,” accusing Governor Aiyedatiwa of desecrating the legacy of Adekunle Ajasin.
“This place was not built for the rich. It was built for workers by one of the best governors Ondo has ever had. Now his legacy is being torn down for profit,” a resident said. “Let Governor Aiyedatiwa know that we are not squatters. We pay rent. If they try to throw us out like criminals, there will be resistance.”
Several labour unions in the Ondo civil service are currently mobilising for mass action to halt the planned demolitions.
Responding to the outrage, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Engr. Ayorinde Abiola Olawoye, defended the project in a statement dated April 8, 2025, dismissing the resistance as a “deliberate falsehood” and “mischievous rhetoric.”
He said: “The recent uproar surrounding the proposed redevelopment of the Alagbaka Government Staff Quarters in Akure has been marked by half-truths, misinformation, and mischievous rhetoric aimed at discrediting a forward-thinking initiative of the Ondo State Government.
“The Alagbaka Staff Quarters, consisting of 69 bungalows of 53 residential units and 16 office units, was developed over 30 years ago and currently sits on 31.3 hectares, equivalent to approximately 481 standard land plots.
“Over the years, these structures have suffered neglect, with no significant renovation or infrastructural upgrade. The structures are now largely substandard, unsafe, and unsuitable for modern habitation.”
He added that the project was not a land grab but part of a “strategic urban regeneration plan.”
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