Urban Governance and Slum Upgrading Policy in Lagos: Lessons from Makoko and Ajegunle

This study analyses the governance frameworks and policy tools employed by Lagos State Government in addressing slum settlements, with detailed case studies of Makoko on Lagos Lagoon and Ajegunle in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area, both within Nigeria's South West geopolitical zone. Slum upgrading is one of the most contested arenas of urban governance in Lagos, with significant tensions between state-led clearance programmes and human rights-based upgrading approaches. An analytical case study design is employed, drawing on 50 in-depth interviews with community leaders, displaced residents, urban planners, state officials, and civil society advocates, supplemented by documentary analysis of state land use and housing policy documents from 2020 to 2024. The Right to the City Framework by Lefebvre and the UN-Habitat Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme principles provide the theoretical lens. Findings reveal that Lagos State's approach has been predominantly clearance-oriented, with inadequate resettlement planning, little community consultation, and poor compensation for displaced residents. The Makoko case illustrates how forced evictions generate significant social costs without resolving underlying housing demand pressures. Ajegunle shows that incremental upgrading with community participation yields more sustainable outcomes. The study contributes original comparative case evidence on participatory versus exclusionary slum upgrading to the urban governance literature on African megacities. Keywords: urban governance, slum upgrading, Lagos, Makoko, housing policy.