The Lagos State Government has defended the ongoing demolition of illegal structures at the popular Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, describing the operation as a technical enforcement of planning laws rather than an ethnically motivated campaign.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olumide Oluyinka, said on Thursday that critics mischaracterizing the exercise as discriminatory were ignoring the facts.
“That is not true. We have been to Owode Onirin, Idumota, and Ikeja. It has no ethnic correlation. The fact is that we just have to do our work. There is nothing ethnic here; it is purely technical,” Oluyinka said during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
The commissioner explained that several buildings within the Trade Fair Complex were constructed without approvals, some in violation of basic safety standards. He pointed out that similar enforcement actions had taken place in other parts of Lagos, including operations that reached “the palace of a white cap chief.”
“The facts are clear; when you are in a place, you must live by the law of that place. It is as simple as that,” Oluyinka added. He maintained that the government’s responsibility was to ensure compliance with regulations to safeguard public safety.
Oluyinka rejected claims that defaulters were not given adequate warning before demolition commenced. He said notices were issued as far back as March 2024, and government teams encountered resistance, harassment, and even unlawful detention while serving them.
“Our officers went there to serve notices and were locked up for five to six hours. We had to bring in the police to release them. Even this year, officers went there and were detained. So what more notice are they requesting? It’s not new to them that we were coming. We gave defaulters time. They must keep by the law,” he said.
The commissioner accused the Trade Fair Management of worsening the situation by leasing land to third parties who built without adhering to planning rules. He lamented the deteriorating state of infrastructure within the complex, citing poor refuse management, blocked drainage channels, and broken walkways.
“It’s a shame we allowed our Trade Fair to get to that extent. Refuse, passage, drainages, walkways, sewage, everything is in shambles. They should even be happy we are there to sanitise because that is our responsibility. We cannot allow it to continue,” Oluyinka said.
On September 25, the Lagos State Government commenced demolition of unsafe and illegal structures at the Trade Fair Complex. The enforcement was carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning in collaboration with the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Urban Renewal Agency, and the Physical Planning Permit Authority, with security support provided.
The commissioner emphasized that the demolition was part of a wider urban renewal strategy to restore order and safety in Lagos’ commercial spaces. He insisted that the exercise was “purely technical” and grounded in law, not politics or ethnicity.
