The Lagos State government has pushed back against comments made by Labour Party leader Peter Obi over the demolition of plazas at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, saying the affected structures had no valid building permits.
The plazas, located at the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) section of the market, were demolished last week by officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning, the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Urban Renewal Agency, and the Physical Planning Permit Authority.
Obi, who visited the site on Tuesday with lawmakers including Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Victor Umeh, faulted the government’s action, claiming that the structures had valid approvals. He urged traders to remain calm while assuring that the National Assembly would probe the demolitions.
But in a swift response, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, accused the traders of “misleading the public.” He insisted that the demolished plazas never had approvals from the Lagos government and that owners had ignored an amnesty opportunity declared last year to regularise their documents.
Omotoso also alleged that government officials were at different times denied entry and even assaulted at the complex until police intervened. He said traders refused to attend meetings arranged by the government to resolve the matter.
The commissioner clarified that the Trade Fair Management Board only has the power to manage leases and tenancies, not to grant construction approvals. He cited the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act of 1992 and a 2003 Supreme Court judgment, both of which place physical planning approval under the jurisdiction of state governments.
“The board can allocate spaces and give administrative consent, but only the Lagos government can issue building permits,” Omotoso said.
He stressed that the demolition was carried out within the law, urging Nigerians to choose whether to be governed “by the rule of law or by emotions stirred by politics.”
The demolition at ASPAMDA is the latest in a series of clashes between Lagos authorities and traders, many of them from the South-East. In recent years, demolitions in Alaba International Market, Ladipo Market, and parts of Balogun have triggered accusations of selective enforcement and ethnic bias—claims the Lagos government has repeatedly denied.
With Obi’s intervention and federal lawmakers now promising an investigation, the Trade Fair demolition has added fresh fuel to the long-running debate about urban renewal, property rights, and political interests in Lagos.
