The Lagos state government has reacted to Peter Obi’s comment on the demolition of plazas at the trade fair complex in Ojo LGA, insisting that the affected buildings had no valid approvals.
The exercise was carried out by officials of the ministry of physical planning, Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority.
On Tuesday, Obi, who visited the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) section of the market with a handful of federal lawmakers, including Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia south senator), Victor Umeh (Anambra central senator), said the plazas were pulled down despite valid approvals.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections commended the traders for showing restraint.
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He also said lawmakers had pledged to probe the incident “thoroughly and bring to light the circumstances that led to this unfortunate development” to prevent future occurrences.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, Gbenga Omotoso, commissioner for information and strategy, said the traders were “misleading the public”.
Omotoso said the affected owners “had no permits” from the Lagos government and “ignored opportunities” to regularise their documents during an “amnesty declared last year”.
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The commissioner said officials of the state were at some point “denied entry” into the complex and were “assaulted” until the police intervened.
He added that when the government invited the traders to meetings, they “refused” to attend.
The commissioner said the argument that the trade fair management board authorised the buildings was “wrong”.
He noted that the board only has powers to manage leases and tenancies—not to grant building approvals.
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He cited the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act (1992), which places planning approval within the jurisdiction of state governments, and a 2003 supreme court ruling that reaffirmed the position.
Omotoso said physical planning approval for any construction in Lagos must come from the state government, adding that federal boards cannot override this requirement except in exclusive areas such as military formations.
“The management board can allocate spaces and give administrative consent, but construction permits must be issued by the Lagos government,” he said.
He noted that the demolitions were carried out within the ambit of the law, stressing that society must choose between being governed by law or by emotions driven by political interests.
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