GRANT TITLE: IFESOWAPO: COMMUNITY ACTION FOR POLICY CHANGE

Grant Final Report Grantee Organization Name : SPACES FOR CHANGE () Grant agreement No. SACE-ISWF-009 Grant Period of Performance: APRIL 15, 2017 – JANUARY 14, 2018

Date of Report: December 2017

This publication was prepared by SPACES FOR CHANGE for Chemonics International for activities completed under Contract No. SACE-ISWF-009

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Contents . Technical ...... 3 A. Summary of Grant Activity Goals and Objectives ...... 3 B. Summary of Grant Activity Achievements ...... 3 B.1 Achievements against Outputs/milestones/Outcomes ...... 3 OBJECTIVE 1 ...... 4 OBJECTIVE 3: ...... 6 OBJECTIVE 4: ...... 7 B.2 Key achievement on Innovation process ...... 8 B.3 Key achievement toward policy ...... 8 B.4 Achievement on Gender and Social Inclusion ...... 8 B.5 Key Results and Discussion ...... 9 C. Description of Any Activities/Milestones Not Completed ...... 9 D. Lessons Learned and Recommendations: ...... 10 Lessons Learned: ...... 10 Recommendations: ...... 10 Challenges: ...... 11 E. Grant Success Stories ...... 11 II. Financial ...... 12 A. Description of grant activity funding ...... 12 B. Summary of Grant Activity Costs and Payments...... 12 C. Explanation of higher or lower than anticipated costs ...... 13

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I. TECHNICAL

A. Summary of Grant Activity Goals and Objectives IFESOWAPO: COMMUNITY ACTION FOR POLICY CHANGE Project has the following specific objectives:

1. To shift and counter the negative narratives as well as other arguments which are typically used to justify the displacement of slumdwellers; 2. To nurture new leaders within marginalized communities, with enhanced political agency and social empowerment to engage state institutions and influence changes to urban policy design and implementation; 3. To provide the unique space for debate and cross-pollination of ideas between slum dwellers and urban policymakers with the potential for the production of a viable and participatory legislative framework for tackling the root causes of social exclusion, marginalization and arbitrary displacement; and 4. To provide both slum dwellers and urban policy makers with the new knowledge and tools to redressing social and economic injustices in their local settings and for addressing poverty and development issues from a rights-perspective.

B. Summary of Grant Activity Achievements

B.1 Achievements against Outputs/milestones/Outcomes

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OBJECTIVE 1 SN ACTIVITY OUTPUT ACHIEVED OUTCOME ACHIEVED COMPLETION REMARKS MILESTONES DATE 1.1 To shift and Contract with US-based story works expert Slum youth receive training and August 2017 The content of the stories produced covered a counter the that facilitated the training on digital certification, increasing their skills range of topics from the devastating impact of negative storytelling. employment prospects. forced evictions to the life and death consequences narratives as of not having access to critical basic services. In well as other 15 youth from 5 Lagos slums trained during a addressing such a range of important issues, arguments 5-day-digital storytelling course Digital stories are played at formal workshop participants exerted their power to be a which are public events organized by S4C, part of shifting dominant narratives that vilify typically used to S4C studio fully equipped with technological enabling stories from the slums to urban poor communities. justify the gadgets reach diverse audiences and displacement of stakeholders. Major changes in the ways slums are perceived is slumdwellers About 20 videos produced under the project evidenced in the public outrage that greets that portray slums differently. Digital stories were shared on social official announcements to demolish slums. media: Facebook, Twitter, and hosted Previously, governments were praised for clearing 3 (three) community sensitization meetings on Youtube. slum areas. But nowadays, it is common place to were convened to share knowledge on see people ask questions and condemn demolitions housing rights 5 out of the 15 participants’ digital that were carried out without notice, compensation stories were noticed by Ford and resettlement. For example, the arrest of S4C S4C staff and community representatives Foundation. Their stories and pictures staff during the Badia demolitions in June 2017 featured on popular radio programs such as will be exhibited at the Lagos Budding ignited outrage on social media which forced state KISS FM to discuss urban displacements and 50 Exhibition scheduled to hold on authorities to release him and other victims. change narrative about slumdwellers using December 9, 2017 at Revolving Arts research products generated under the project Incubator at Silverbird Galleria, In the wake of the Eke-Ukwu Owerri market Asset register and insurance for all items Victoria Island, Lagos. demolitions, nearly all the newspaper outlets, purchased including the electronic and print in the country, 4 out of the 15 trainees are now published S4C’s press statements, and used S4C’s Blog on marginalized community issues employed. Two work as community images and videos in their news publications. The launched bloggers in S4C. Samuel Kpiki is now Punch Newspapers freely published S4C’s press engaged in events coverage. Temitope statement on its treasured editorial page documents stories and has successfully commercially valued at millions of Naira. All these documented Otodo-gbame post- attest to growing outrage, including media evictions. reportage of forced evictions. This was not the case before now.

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SN ACTIVITY MILESTONES OUTPUT OUTCOME ACHIEVED COMPLETION REMARK ACHIEVED DATE 2.1 Nurture new leaders within Two community 500 slum residents have November 2017 The series of formal and informal marginalized communities, with representative been directly reached meetings with state agencies enabled enhanced political agency and social selection meetings through the advocacy, SPACES FOR CHANGE to present empowerment to engage state held where a 12- training, policy dialogues, stories from the field to policymakers and institutions and influence changes to man PAR steering group discussions and the wider public, while opening the space urban policy design and implementation committee was outreaches conducted under for slumdwellers to not only directly constituted and this project. engage state authorities on issues that launched. affect them, but also counter the oft Empowered community negative narratives often pervading Communities leaders conduct civic popular literature. Alliance Against education programs and Displacement engage local government (CAD) emerge. authorities in Ebutte-Metta Two community bloggers gained and Yaba LCDAs on their employment with S4C after benefiting S4C has received own on July 15 and August from the digital story-telling training. support from Ford 29, 2017 With the newly-acquired skills, their Foundation to income has increased, and they have support CAD’s CAD membership now wider opportunities to get new jobs. community-to- spanning 18 different community communities affected by Other youth are pursuing other economic campaigning mass evictions or threatened objectives with greater confidence and initiatives with evictions in the future capability. For example, Samuel Kpiki is now engaged in the entrepreneurial Community representatives activity of events coverage. Temitope attend meetings with urban Ovuefor utilises her skills to document policymakers in large stories. She has successfully documented numbers and are now able to Otodo-gbame post-evictions. Others are articulate issues affecting available to train community members as their communities. E.g part of step-down program post- October 26, 2017. Ifesowapo:CAPC project.

Higher numbers of slum youth now participate actively in S4C’s community development and housing justice advocacy programs than before.

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OBJECTIVE 3: S/N ACTIVITY OUTPUT ACHIEVED OUTCOME ACHIEVED COMPLETION REMARKS MILESTONES DATE 3.1 To provide the unique July 26, 2017 multi- Nigeria Railway Corporation September 2017 Constructive policy dialogue between SPACES FOR space for debate and stakeholder (NRC) claims that the land on CHANGE, NRC authorities and Badia residents held cross-pollination of policy dialogue between which Badia residents live is on in April 2017. As a result of the peaceful negotiations, ideas between slum (24) community leaders/ the right of way for the 156.65 Badia residents had voluntarily removed their dwellers and urban slumdwellers and urban kilometre rail-line expansion structures and properties from the areas designated for policymakers with the policymakers (7) drawn project aimed at delivering a fast the rail line, and rebuilt alternative ones outside of the potential for the from various ministries and efficient rail service system marked zones. production of a viable and agencies in Lagos between Lagos and Ibadan. NRC and participatory State served demolition notices. A legislative framework government-community policy for tackling the root Community leaders dialogue that S4C brokered causes of social participated in series of between the Nigerian Railway exclusion, advocacy meetings with Corporation and Ijora-Badia marginalization and Lagos State Directorate of residents averted another round of arbitrary displacement Citizens’ Rights, Lagos evictions in the community on State Office of Civic April 20, 2017. Read more… Engagement, the Special Adviser to Lagos The June 20 site inspection visit Governor on afforded LSMPPUD, S4C and Communities, Lagos Badia community leaders to not State Ministry of Local only to investigate the conflicting Government Affairs, land claims and disputes Nigeria Railway Property triggering the recurrent Corporation of Nigeria demolitions in Badia-East, but also to document the scale of the Lagos State Ministry of human suffering brought on by Physical Planning and the recent demolitions. Urban Development (LSMPPUD), S4C and Badia community leaders undertook a joint site inspection visit to Badia- East community on June 20, 2017

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OBJECTIVE 4: S/N ACTIVITY OUTPUT ACHIEVED OUTCOME COMPLETION REMARKS MILESTONES ACHIEVED DATE 4.1 To provide both slum Policy research and legislative gaps in Guidelines present November 2017 The change of government attitude is seen in the dwellers and urban policy Lagos urban laws and policies new knowledge and way officials now participate actively in S4C makers with the new undertaken tools for mitigating meetings around urban governance. Lagos State knowledge and tools to the hardship Government specially invited S4C to present the redressing social and Policy brief produced from research associated with eviction guideline at a State-wide Interactive economic injustices in information reveal the gaps in existing forced evictions Forum held on October 26, 2017. There is due their local settings and for legislation recognition for the alternative proposals advanced addressing poverty and Lagos government by S4C even though this is yet to be concluded. development issues from a Eviction guidelines drafted proffer departments receive rights-perspective alternative proposals for carrying out eviction guidelines. Lagos State Government has also forwarded S4C’s evictions less-painfully. They include the Eviction Guideline to the State’s Law Reform Governor’s Office, Commission for consideration. All of these point Draft guideline disseminated widely to Ministries of Justice, to shifts in official behaviour in urban governance. urban policy makers and stakeholders. Housing, Physical and Urban Planning, The Eviction Guideline continues to generate Change in official behavior towards Civic Engagement, positive feedback from government, civil society discourse around forced displacement. Community and and communities. At a meeting organized by The change of government attitude is Local Government Amnesty International on November 8, 2017, the seen in the way officials now Affairs, MWPPUD, eviction guideline was extensively discussed and participate actively in S4C meetings Law Reform suggested as an antidote against forced evictions. around urban governance. Lagos State Commission, The suggestions came from the Department of Government specially invited S4C to National Human Urban Planning of the University of Lagos. present the eviction guideline at a State- Rights Commission, Despite these public approvals, the push for wide Interactive Forum held on October Nigeria Police Force adoption continues. 26, 2017. There is due recognition for etc. the alternative proposals advanced by Eviction Guidelines also espouse new roles for S4C even though this is yet to be security agencies during evictions. concluded.

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B.2 Key achievement on Innovation process The concept of pushing for policy reform through digital stories is novel and innovative. Five of the fifteen stories produced touched on the themes of demolition and forced evictions. These Stories also provided a more humane way to the role Lagos State Task Force (the Lagos State Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit) plays in mass evictions as trainees affirmed that they are the agency typically involved in evicting residents from Ebute Metta and Badia East. It opened an avenue for dialogue/reconcialation.resolution of eviction issues between residents of Ebute Matta/Badia East and the Lagos State Government Stakeholders including other stakeholders from the private sectors/ non-state agencies. Another important set of actors in perpetuating forced evictions are royal or chieftaincy families and the Nigerian Police; where the respect of the human rights of the slum residents was emphasised. Thus, these digital stories were used to win the corporation of the Nigerian Police and chieftaincy families who now work on this project. These digital stories powerfully translate insights and information shared directly by slumdwellers into innovative and useful foundation for urban policy reform.

B.3 Key achievement toward policy In a letter dated November 10, 2017 (OCE/459/IV/419), the Lagos State Government notified that it has forwarded S4C’s Eviction Guideline to the Lagos State Law Reform Commission for consideration. All of these point to shifts in official behaviour in urban governance to more inclusive governance in urban governance affecting the vulnerable groups.

The Eviction Guideline continues to generate positive feedback from government, civil society, private sector and communities. At a meeting organized by Amnesty International on November 8, 2017, the Eviction Guideline was extensively discussed and suggested as an antidote against forced evictions/and to be used for the respect of human rights of slum dwellers. The suggestion came from the Department of Urban Planning of the University of Lagos. Despite these public approvals, S4C’s push for the adoption continues.

S4C also presented the Eviction Guideline at the Public Hearing on police abuses in Nigeria, in Lagos on Monday October 30, 2017 organized by Network of Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) Foundation and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). It was well received and commitment for its consideration was expressed by the NHRC. On the invitation of the Lagos State Government, S4C officially presented the draft Eviction Guideline on Forced Evictions at the Monthly Interactive Session of Stakeholders & Community Development Practitioners in Lagos State held on October 26, 2017. It is hoped that the Eviction Guideline will culminate in the adoption of a legal framework for averting and remedying forced displacement often affecting those living in informal urban settlements.

B.4 Achievement on Gender and Social Inclusion Special quota was reserved for women and people with disability to ensure gender balance and social inclusion in programming. The steering committee was made up 6 men and 6 women; and it was noticed that the communities had no representation from People With Disability (PWD). Therefore, there was an indepth discussion on the inclusion of PWD – if there are some in the communities- in all meetings, decision making and policy advocacy. The communities made a commitment to take a positive action on inclusion of PWDs. The trainees at the digital story-

8 telling comprised 8 males and 7 females, aged 20-35 years. Participation in community events spiraled under the project, with half of attendees often comprising of women and young girls.

B.5 Key Results and Discussion • 15 youth from 5 Lagos slums trained during a 5-day-digital storytelling course • S4C studio fully equipped with technological gadgets • About 20 videos produced under the project that portray slums differently. • 3 (three) community sensitization meetings were convened to share knowledge on housing rights, directly reaching about 300 slum residents in Badia and Ebutte-Metta Metta. • S4C staff and community representatives featured on popular radio programs such as KISS FM to discuss urban displacements and change narrative about slumdwellers using research products generated under the project • Asset register and insurance for all items purchased • Blog on marginalized community issues launched • Policy research and legislative gaps in Lagos urban laws and policies undertaken • Policy brief produced from research information reveal the gaps in existing legislation • Eviction guidelines drafted proffer alternative proposals for carrying out evictions less- painfully • Draft guideline disseminated widely to urban policy makers and stakeholders. • Changes noticed in official behavior towards discourse around forced displacement • Changes noticed in the way the public perceive slums and mass evictions • Constructive policy dialogue between S4C, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC )authorities and Badia residents held in April 2017. As a result of the peaceful negotiations, Badia residents had voluntarily removed their structures and properties from the areas designated for the rail line, and rebuilt alternative ones outside of the marked zones.

Overall, the IFESOWAPO project has been remarkably successful in energizing local and marginalized populations to become proactive in decision making on policy and other decisions that affect their communities (Badia Ijora and Ebute Metta Communities of Lagos State). The project has been instrumental to demonstrating that social apathy is socially constructed and can be transformed through well thought out interventions that combine critical information management and concerted action to inspire people that otherwise have lost every reason to take an active part in shaping events and the world around them. Communities are earnestly looking forward to the adoption of the Eviction Guideline - ‘When will it be passed into law’, many of them asked at the Monthly Interactive Session of Stakeholders & Community Development Practitioners in Lagos State held on October 26, 2017. The Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor on Communities and Communications, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan urged S4C to involve the Lagos State House of Assembly in the advocacy efforts geared towards the securing the adoption of the draft Eviction Guideline as a State Policy.

C. Description of Any Activities/Milestones Not Completed All the milestonnes were completed as effectively and effeciently as expalianed on item B above.

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D. Lessons Learned and Recommendations: Lessons Learned: In general, it was learnt that the hostility between slum dwellers and public/state authorities typically manifests in discussions around urban planning and the enforcement of urban regulations and standards. These tensions now were better managed when local people became more aware of planning intentions and have had a chance to voice out their reservations, as well as proffer localized solutions to those concerns. Simultaneously, communities are likely to support state development programs when ingrained misunderstandings are properly addressed and fears assuaged about the potential impacts on local environment and livelihoods. This clarification considerably whittles down community resistance and a floodgate of litigation could be avoided. In Badia, we have seen how such dialogues are resulting in a boost in information sharing and confidence of local actors such that communities are now better informed and can confidently articulate what they want. The residents of Badia now know how to obtain important information regarding the state’s urban renewal program, and no longer just accept what is proposed to them by government, until such ideas are subjected to debate and consultations. It was learned that the application of technology and other traditional organizing methods increased S4C staff capacity to design high-quality deliverable content for slum advocacy and to effectively communicate complex research data and policy design concepts to diverse audiences, especially Lagos State government, informal communities, academic, media, non-governmental organizations, planners, donor community, housing industry stakeholders etc. It also enabled S4C consolidate its presence and competence in strengthening community organizations. Mainly because of the empowerment slum youth received under this project, they have heightened their participation in both S4C and community-led campaigns for housing justice. This was not the case before the training. Many wait in line to be trained. Having noticed that the training spiked the enthusiasm and participation of slum youth, S4C plans to replicate the training on digital storytelling in 2018 for the benefit of the slum youth in Mowo, Yaba and Ilaje communities. Recommendations: 1. S4C to take steps to approach other donors for funding, in order to ensure the project continues in the absence of the current resources provided by USAID; and S4C to have the eviction guideline peer-reviewed by international housing experts and independent policy think-thank institutions; 2. Since the preliminary assessment shows that the peer-review process to have a legal framework that meets global best practices on housing rights protection and potentially replicable in similarly-situated contexts around the globe may be very expensive, S4C should pursue funding to access this expertise, drawing from its membership of global networks that advocate for the protection of social and economic rights. Thereby, S4C should then make the final copy of the Evictions Guidelines publicly-available when the peer-review process is concluded; and 3. S4C should engage more with the Lagos State Law Reform currently considering the bill to push the bill for adoption by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

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Challenges: The challenges of this project were that the project required onerous weekly reporting requirements and related compliance obligations and extensive time was dedicated to project reporting and compliance obligations/ while the project was activity intensive.

E. Grant Success Stories The project was a tremendous success as one of the Communities Alliance Against Displacement (CAD) women leader, Ms. Biola Ogunyemi stated recently in Ghana: “We are poor slumdwellers and didn’t know that we have rights. The empowerment we have received from SPACES FOR CHANGE has opened our eyes. We now know that we have human rights and can take action to assert and enforce them.” Members of CAD were invited to an international conference held in Ghana between November 30 to December 2, 2017. Some of the success stories are also found below: http://www.spacesforchange.org/blog and displacedcommallianceng.wordpress.com.

Over the last nine months, Spaces for Change (S4C) dedicated time, energy and resources on stakeholder mobilization, legislative engagement and intense campaign for the adoption of the eviction guidelines produced under this project. Combining information technology with traditional community organizing methods, this project has empowered slum communities to assert their presence, concerns and uniqueness within the urban space. It created new spaces which enabled target groups to make inputs to policy discussions and successfully advocate for policy reforms that work for them.

In particular, the project equipped slum youth with new skills in leadership, human rights and digital story-telling. This is to fulfill the objective of the Ifesowapo project in“nurturing new leaders with enhanced political agency and social empowerment to engage state institutions and influence changes to urban policy design and implementation,” thus practicing controlling one’s narrative is immensely relevant and valuable”. Building the digital storytelling capabilities of slum youth was empowering because of the content of the stories produced. Stories covered a range of topics from the devastating impact of forced evictions to the life and death consequences of not having access to critical basic services. In addressing such a range of important issues, target groups exerted their power to be a part of shifting dominant narratives that vilify urban poor communities. Through our digital story-telling program, slum youth have learnt how to produce their own stories using digital technology (see pictures in Annex 1 for the digital story telling).

Through the series of trainings, community outreaches, multi-stakeholder dialogues and other capacity building initiatives delivered under this project and all other S4C-supported initiatives, S4C empowered and amplified the voices of slum-dwellers across Lagos State. S4C further emboldened marginalized groups and communities to demand accountability from the local and state governments for the functionality gaps that they face in their informal communities. The communities have directly participated in meetings with policy makers, articulating their own needs and priorities. The most dominant priority of target groups is to see changes in the laws that work against the urban poor. Distilling from the plethora of needs and priorities emerging from both the digital stories and dialogues with state officials, S4C developed an Eviction Guideline to lay the groundwork for policy reform. A vibrant campaign pushing for adoption of

11 the draft Eviction Guideline is receiving positive feedback. A state agency in Lagos State- Lagos State Law Reform Commission is currently reviewing and considering the draft Eviciton Guideline. If adopted as a State Law, it will provide a legal framework for redressing the festering problem of state-ordered forced evictions and mass displacement often targeted at slums and slum-dwellers.

There is also a dedicated blogsite where community events are published regularly. All of these activities have helped to significantly equip target groups with information, amplify their voices and impart the knowledge needed to take collective action against the structures of their disempowerment.

On the other hand, Lagos State Authorities seem to better appreciate the benefit of participation of local people in urban sector decision making. The project scope is limited to only two communities: Ijora Badia and Ebutte-Metta. S4C safely projected that the interventions delivered under this project will have a strong potential to be replicated in other communities. S4C is working to replicate this model project in Owerri, Imo State where it has opened a New Branch Office, extending its advocacy to underserved communities affected by mass evictions.

II. Financial

A. Description of grant activity funding

The original budget reviewed by SACE and approved by USAID was for ₦11,261,084.11. The grant in addition to funding the activities discussed above, also contributed to the payment of staff salary of key personnel of S4C and contributed to other direct costs like rent, vehicle maintenance, internet, telephone and bank charges.

The award was 100% funded by the SACE project.

B. Summary of Grant Activity Costs and Payments Fixed amount award

Chemonics Grant Budget Total Milestone Payments Variation Action Taken Commitment ₦11,261,084.11 ₦11,261,084.12 - None

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C. Explanation of higher or lower than anticipated costs

All milestones were completed and there were no higher or lower than any anticipated costs.

Annex 1 - Pictures from Digital Story Telling

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