Evicting the poor in the ‘overriding public interest’: Crisis of rights and interests, and contestations in Nigerian cities

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Evicting the poor in the ‘overriding public interest’: Crisis of rights and interests, and contestations in Nigerian cities

Onyebueke, VU; Walker, J; Lipietz, B; Ujah, O; Ibezim-Ohaeri, V; (2020) Evicting the poor in the ‘overriding public interest’: Crisis of rights and interests, and contestations in Nigerian cities. Cities , 101 , Article 102675. 10.1016/j.cities.2020.102675. Green open access

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Abstract

Forced eviction is unquestionably a global humanitarian crisis. Africa and, particularly, Nigeria bear a major brunt of this ‘global epidemic’, which carries enormous material and human costs. Yet, eviction is frequently hidden behind forms of displacements which operate within the law, and are justified on the basis of public interest rationales. Drawing on a research project into urban infrastructure-related displacement in Nigeria, this paper explores the reported incidence, patterns and trends of urban displacements and their impacts in Nigeria over a period of six years (2010–2016). Through the prism of the holistic approach, it interrogates the conflicting ‘publics’ and ‘interests’ in the diverse displacement contexts, and argues that the ‘public interest’ behind official rationale for displacement is, in reality, a highly contested affair. The paper recommends that displacements, where unavoidable, ought to be planned inclusively against the background of meaningful engagement and procedural safeguards.

Type:	Article
Title:	Evicting the poor in the ‘overriding public interest’: Crisis of rights and interests, and contestations in Nigerian cities
Open access status:	An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI:	10.1016/j.cities.2020.102675
Publisher version:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102675
Language:	English
Additional information:	This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification:	UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Development Planning Unit
URI:	https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10096404