The Lagos State Government has insisted that its recent demolitions at the Trade Fair Complex were fully supported by the law.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, made the statement on Monday night via his official X account, responding to critics who condemned the government’s actions.
Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), had criticized the demolitions, calling them unlawful and beyond Lagos State’s jurisdiction. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Umeh described the move by the Commissioner for Physical Planning as “a clear breach of the law and an affront to due process.”
“The country is governed by laws and the Constitution. I am disappointed that the Commissioner for Physical Planning in Lagos State came on air to justify an illegal action,” Umeh said.
Umeh emphasized that the Trade Fair Complex is a federal property managed by the Federal Government through the Trade Fair Management Board, and thus not under Lagos State’s control.
“The Trade Fair Complex is a federal establishment where the Lagos State Government moved in with heavy machinery to destroy people’s properties and investments without justification,” he said.
“Federal lands are managed by federal agencies, not state governments. Such properties are recorded in the Federal Land Registry in Ikoyi, not the Lagos Land Registry in Alausa. The Lagos State Government has never performed these duties there until about two weeks ago, when they moved in to demolish buildings on 25 September. This is an intrusion.”
Responding to Umeh, Wahab stated:
“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 further noted that in Lagos, everyone seems to have an opinion on state actions. He questioned whether similar enforcement measures were illegal in other states, citing Governor Alex Otti in Abia State and Governor Charles Soludo in Anambra State as examples.
