Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has defended the state government’s recent demolitions at the Trade Fair Complex, insisting that every action taken was legally grounded.
Wahab made this known in a post on his official X handle on Monday night while responding to widespread criticisms that trailed the demolition exercise. His statement came shortly after Senator Victor Umeh of Anambra Central described the move as “unlawful and beyond Lagos State’s jurisdiction.”
Umeh, who is also a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), argued that the Trade Fair Complex is a federal property managed by the Federal Government through the Trade Fair Management Board. He accused the Lagos State Government of breaching due process and overstepping its legal authority.
He said, “The Trade Fair Complex is a federal establishment where the Lagos State Government moved in with heavy machinery to destroy people’s investments without justification.” Umeh further noted that federal lands are under the Federal Land Registry in Ikoyi, not in the Lagos Land Registry in Alausa.
Responding, Wahab maintained that Lagos acted within the bounds of the law, saying, “Here in Lagos, every one of our actions is backed by the law, and we stand by it all. We remain committed to enforcing the laws without distraction, irrespective of whose ox is gored.”
The commissioner added that it had become a trend for people to criticize Lagos’s enforcement drive, questioning why similar actions in other states had not sparked the same outrage. “Was it illegal when Governor Alex Otti removed contraventions in Abia State? Was it also illegal when Governor Charles Soludo removed contraventions in Anambra?” Wahab asked.
Wahab’s remarks underscore the Lagos Government’s stance on maintaining urban order and environmental compliance, even amid growing public disapproval and political backlash.
