In Nigeria, homeless and other vulnerable people are being 鈥渞ounded up鈥� by police, 鈥減ersecuted鈥� and evicted, amid a massive housing crisis, a UN-appointed听听on Tuesday.
The warning from听, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, follows her 10-day visit to Africa鈥檚 most populous country.
Informal settlements were 鈥渂allooning鈥� and conditions in them were 鈥渋nhumane鈥�, she said in a听, highlighting a housing deficit estimated at 22 million homes.
Newly built luxury dwellings are springing up throughout cities 鈥� made possible often through the forced eviction of poor communities -听Independent UN rights expert, Leilani Farha
鈥淪uccessive Governments have allowed economic inequality in Nigeria to reach extreme levels, a fact that is clearly evident in the housing sector鈥�, she said. 鈥淢eanwhile, newly built luxury dwellings are springing up throughout cities 鈥� made possible often through the forced eviction of poor communities.鈥�
Ms. Farha insisted that these new dwellings 鈥渄o not fulfil any housing need鈥� since many remained vacant, 鈥渁cting as vessels for money laundering or investment鈥�.
Among her other findings, which are to be presented in full to the Human Rights Council in March 2020, Ms. Farha noted widespread discrimination of vulnerable minorities by landlords.
People with HIV/AIDS and members of the LGBT community were 鈥減articularly鈥� at risk of eviction, Ms. Farha insisted, in an appeal to the authorities to address the problem. In addition, persons with disabilities were often held in punitive detention centres against their will, in 鈥渄eplorable鈥� conditions.
Highlighting the fact that seven in 10 Nigerians in towns and cities now live in informal settlements, the Special Rapporteur said that most remain without access to running water and toilets - and they are in constant fear of being turned out of their homes.
Nigerian population set to double by 2050
Estimated at around 200 million-strong today, Nigeria鈥檚 population is expected to double by 2050, according to the UN population fund,听.听 Among her recommendations to the Government, the expert called for the decriminalisation of homelessness and poverty and a nationwide moratorium on forced evictions.
鈥淚 was shocked to see that the people most in need of protection and assistance by the State are instead persecuted, harassed, extorted, and even arrested and jailed without ever having committed a crime,鈥� Ms. Farha said.
鈥淭hese measures will improve the lives of those most in need, and they can be introduced immediately as they do not require Government spending.鈥�
Among her other recommendations, the independent Special Rapporteur encouraged the Government to prioritise upgrading informal settlements. The authorities should also adopt a rights-based national housing strategy that recognises housing as a fundamental right in national law, she insisted.
