The Lagos State Government has refuted claims that the ongoing demolition of buildings at the International Trade Fair Complex in Ojo is targeted at any specific ethnic group.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olumide Oluyinka, insisted that the exercise is based purely on technical and legal grounds.
Oluyinka dismissed allegations of ethnic victimisation during an appearance on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” on Thursday.
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“That is not true. We have been to Owode Onirin, Idumota, and Ikeja. It has no ethnic colouration. The fact is that we just have to do our work. There is nothing ethnic here; it is purely technical,” Oluyinka argued.
The commissioner emphasised that the enforcement action is consistent with similar operations conducted across the state, citing demolitions on Lagos Island, including actions that “even touched the palace of a white cap chief.”
He underscored the need for all residents to abide by the state’s laws, saying, “This is Nigeria for all of us. 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 pointed to illegal leasing and poor urban planning as core reasons for the demolition.
He accused the Trade Fair Management of compounding the problem by leasing land to third parties who proceeded to build without legal compliance.
He highlighted severe safety and planning breaches, recalling a three-storey building observed to be just two feet from the road kerb.
“When you open the shop doors, they swing over the road,” he noted, questioning the competence of any architect who would design such a structure.
The commissioner maintained that defaulters were given extensive opportunities to regularise their structures before the demolitions, which began on September 25.
He recounted leading a team to the complex in March 2024, stating the time between then and the recent demolitions was over a year and a half.
Oluyinka alleged that the state’s efforts to serve notices were met with hostility, stating officers were locked up for five to six hours on one occasion and detained again this year.
“So what more notice are they requesting? It’s not new to them that we were coming,” he added.
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The operation, which targeted illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and buildings erected on road setbacks and drainages, was led by the Ministry of Physical Planning in collaboration with agencies including the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).
Oluyinka lamented the general infrastructural decay within the complex, citing issues with refuse, drainage, walkways, and sewage, and concluded that the government’s presence was necessary to sanitise the environment, calling it a matter of official responsibility.
