The right to housing in the context of Nigerian law and human rights practice

Abstract

Every society needs a set of laws which stipulates the rights and duties of citizens, as well as regulate the conduct of the society. But law is often perceived as repressive and unpopular by majority of the urban poor in many developing countries who feel that the law has done little or nothing to ameliorate their sufferings. For example, new evidence from satellite images has revealed the true extent of forced evictions going on in Badia East-Lagos, one of Nigeria’s mega cities. The pictures taken during and after the demolitions carried out by the Lagos State government on 23rd February 2013, clearly shows that a densely populated area containing concrete housing and other structures was razed to the ground. Given the importance of housing to the overall development and existence of mankind, it is necessary to first determine the existence of a legal right to adequate housing to warrant a demand by the citizen to fulfil this right and in order to appreciate the need for government intervention in this area.