The human cost of building the Dubai of Africa
Up First from NPR
May 17, 2026
Lagos is transforming into a global economic hub, but this growth is fueled by the systematic, violent displacement of vulnerable waterfront communities. These mass evictions, often ignoring court orders, expose the extreme paradox of a city that values luxury infrastructure over the livelihoods of its most essential workers.
Key insight: In Lagos, some evicted families are so desperate that mothers tie themselves to their children with rope at night while sleeping under bridges to prevent them from being kidnapped or taken.
