The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its zero tolerance for illegal and unapproved developments within the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, stressing that its current enforcement drive is aimed at ensuring public safety and compliance with planning regulations.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, stated this in a press release on Thursday, noting that the government’s action aligns with its mandate to promote a safe, orderly, and sustainable environment in line with the State’s T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goal 11.
He explained that the Trade Fair Complex has over time degenerated into an enclave of haphazard and unsafe structures, posing grave risks to public safety. The intervention, he said, is backed by the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act 1992, the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2019, and a 2003 Supreme Court judgment empowering states to regulate physical development within their territories.
Olumide clarified that the ongoing enforcement is not about land ownership but about ensuring that all developments within the complex obtain valid planning permits as required by law. He added that every structure in Lagos must meet planning standards to guarantee safety and sustainability.
The commissioner condemned attempts by some political actors, particularly of South-East extraction, to misrepresent facts and politicise the enforcement exercise. He described such actions as populist and ill-motivated, aimed at scoring cheap political points rather than advancing public interest.
Reaffirming Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to an inclusive and sustainable physical environment, Olumide cited previous enforcement exercises in several locations including Pelewura Market, Bombata Market, Ilasan Housing Estate, Otumara, Alaba Rago, and Oluwole Market—all carried out without ethnic bias.
He noted that several South-East states, including Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo, have also demolished illegal structures for urban renewal and flood control without ethnic interpretations, wondering why Lagos’s lawful enforcement should be viewed differently.
Olumide urged developers and occupants at the Trade Fair Complex to regularise their building approvals within two weeks and appealed for residents’ cooperation toward achieving a safe, well-planned, and sustainable Lagos for all.
Culled from westernpost
