The Lagos State government has reacted to comments by the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, who condemned the demolition of plazas at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, Ojo.
Obi had described the exercise as unjust and economically destructive.
Obi, who on Tuesday visited the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) section of the market alongside lawmakers including Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) and Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), said the plazas were pulled down despite the affected traders having valid approvals.
“Many of the affected traders invested heavily — often through loans — in the hope of securing their livelihoods and contributing to the wider economy. To destroy such legitimate investments without due process is not only unjust but also economically destructive. Incidents like this should have no place in a nation that aspires to fairness, stability, and shared prosperity”, Obi had also stated.
But the Lagos State Government has dismissed his position, insisting the demolitions were carried out lawfully after repeated violations of planning regulations.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in a statement, said Obi was attempting to whip up sentiment, stressing that the affected owners had no valid approvals.
Omotoso explained: “The owners of the building have no approval. They got ample time to regularise their papers when the state government declared last year a general amnesty, which was extended several times. The owners shunned the offer. When Physical Planning officials visited the complex, the gates were locked against them; they were beaten up. The police rescued them. When the government called the owners for talks, they said they would not come; they did not come.
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“Their defence is that the Management Board of the Trade Fair permitted them to build their structures. This is wrong. The board, which is a creation of the Federal Government to manage the complex, does not have powers to approve or regulate building developments within the complex independent of Lagos State Government. Physical Planning and building approvals are within the remit of State Governments.”
He further cited the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act of 1992, as domesticated by Lagos State’s regulations, which mandates that all physical development in the state must obtain approval from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Omotoso added: “This position was further clarified and reinforced by The Supreme Court judgment of 2003 (Attorney-General of Lagos State v. Attorney-General of the Federation) that land use and physical planning fall under concurrent jurisdiction, and states retain the authority to regulate development control within their territories, including federal lands, except for core areas like military formations or exclusive federal enclaves.
“The Trade Fair Complex Board may manage leases, tenancies, and commercial activities, but any construction, alteration, or development still requires Lagos State planning permit. Otherwise, such developments would be deemed illegal under state law, and the Lagos State Government has the power to seal or demolish them. In other words, the Management Board can allocate spaces and give administrative consent, but building approvals must pass through Lagos State government.”
The demolition has sparked outrage among traders who lament heavy losses, while raising fresh questions about regulatory overlaps between federal boards and state governments in urban development.
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