Lagos govt reaffirms zero tolerance for illegal developments at Trade Fair Complex
The Lagos State Government has reiterated its zero tolerance for unapproved and illegal developments within the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, emphasizing that all ongoing enforcement actions are strictly in line with state planning regulations and laws governing urban development.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, the government maintained that every structure within Lagos State must obtain a valid planning permit from the ministry to ensure a safe, orderly, and sustainable environment.
According to the commissioner, the Trade Fair Complex has, over time, degenerated into an enclave of unsafe and haphazard structures, posing serious risks to public safety and emergency response efforts. He explained that the state’s actions are consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 11 aimed at making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable as well as the T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
Olumide noted that the government’s enforcement derives its legitimacy from several legal frameworks, including the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act 1992, the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2019, and the 2003 Supreme Court judgment affirming state authority to regulate physical development, even on federal lands not under exclusive federal use.
He clarified that the current exercise is not about land ownership or title disputes but about ensuring that physical developments meet statutory approval requirements.
The statement also condemned attempts by “certain political actors, particularly of South-East extraction,” to misrepresent the government’s actions for political gain, describing such narratives as “populist, ill-motivated, and aimed at scoring cheap points rather than advancing public safety.”
To dispel ethnic misrepresentations, the commissioner listed previous enforcement exercises carried out across the state including Pelewura Market, Bombata Market, Otumara, Ilasan, Alaba Rago, and Oluwole Market, noting that these areas were occupied by diverse ethnic groups.
Olumide added that other states such as Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo have undertaken similar demolition and urban renewal initiatives without ethnic coloration.
“It is disingenuous and divisive for anyone to resort to ethnic sensationalism whenever enforcement actions involve structures owned or occupied by individuals of Igbo extraction,” the commissioner stated, stressing that the Lagos State Government’s actions are guided solely by law and public interest.
All developers and occupants of structures within the Trade Fair Complex have been given a two-week ultimatum to regularize their building approvals with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development in line with existing regulations.
The government urged all stakeholders and residents to cooperate with its efforts to build a safe, organized, and sustainable Lagos for all.
