In an open letter titled ‘Save the Soul of FESTAC’ and dated February 25, 2025, addressed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed M. Dangiwa, Animashaun-Ajiboye called for urgent intervention to prevent the estate’s total collapse and avert a potential public health crisis.
She noted that her connection to FESTAC is deeply personal, as she was raised in the estate by her father, Alhaji Bashiru Animashaun, a former federal worker with the Ministry of Works and Housing, who won a flat in FESTAC Town through a lottery in 1977.
“I grew up in this once-thriving community, where public services functioned efficiently—wall-mounted telephones in our blocks, timely waste disposal, clean streets, and a strong sense of community.
“Our public schools were excellent, our roads well-maintained, and our drainage functional. We had recreational parks—‘Love Gardens’ among them—where we gathered as young people. FESTAC was a model estate, home to individuals from all walks of life who flourished in an environment designed with thoughtful urban planning,” she wrote.
However, she lamented that FESTAC Town, 48 years later, is now a shadow of its former self, describing its current state as heart-breaking.
She attributed the estate’s decline to various factors, including the sale of strategic recreational parks to private individuals for construction, thereby eliminating green spaces and disrupting the original urban planning by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA).
Animashaun-Ajiboye also criticised the prevalence of unregulated business activities, unauthorised alterations to drainage systems and road structures, neglect by homeowners and landlords, and the lack of waste management discipline, which has turned streets into garbage dumps. She highlighted the poor maintenance of buildings, leading to structural decline and safety hazards.
She further decried the increasing vandalism and theft of manhole covers, drainage covers, and other public infrastructure, which have exacerbated environmental and security concerns.
“If nothing is done soon, we may face building collapses, health hazards from poor sanitation, and severe flooding from blocked drainage systems,” she warned. “The situation on 1st to 7th Avenues, and beyond, is already dire. The once-beautiful Orile-Okoko Expressway is also deteriorating rapidly due to poor drainage. When it rains, FESTAC becomes impassable and hazardous.”
Emphasising that the issue transcends politics, Animashaun-Ajiboye called for a collaborative effort between the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to address the estate’s challenges.
She urged the elimination of bureaucratic bottlenecks and the streamlining of cooperation between state, local government, and FHA for quick intervention to restore FESTAC Town’s lost glory.
