The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the demolition of plazas at the popular Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos State, describing the exercise as “unjust and economically destructive.”
The demolition was carried out by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning, the Building Control Agency, the Urban Renewal Agency, and the Physical Planning Permit Authority.
Visiting the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) section of the market on Tuesday with lawmakers including Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Victor Umeh, Obi said the plazas had valid approvals. He revealed that some National Assembly members have pledged to investigate the incident to prevent a repeat.
Commending the traders for showing restraint despite their losses, Obi urged leaders to act with “compassion, fairness, and justice” in such matters. According to him, many of the traders had taken loans to build their businesses and contribute to the economy, only for their investments to be destroyed. “To destroy such legitimate investments without due process is not only unjust but also economically destructive,” he said.
But the Lagos State Government has dismissed Obi’s claims, insisting the buildings were illegal. Reacting, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, accused Obi of whipping up sentiment. He explained that the affected owners never had valid approvals and ignored several amnesty opportunities offered by the government to regularise their papers.
Omotoso alleged that when state officials visited the complex, they were attacked, and attempts at dialogue were rebuffed. He stressed that while the Trade Fair Management Board can allocate spaces, it has no power to approve building constructions, as physical planning falls strictly under Lagos State authority.
Quoting the Supreme Court judgment of 2003, the Commissioner said all physical developments in Lagos — even on federal lands — must comply with state regulations, except in exclusive federal enclaves like military formations. He added that the government reserves the right to seal or demolish structures that do not meet planning standards.
For now, the debate rages on: while traders count their losses and Obi calls for fairness, the state government insists it acted within the law.
