Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye(Anambra North) and other federal lawmakers from the southeast and dignitaries from across the country, toured the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex to assess the extent of damage cause by the recent demolition exercise carried out in the Complex by agencies of the Lagos State government.
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Recall that Lagos State’s Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, had last week Thursday moved into the complex and demolished some buildings without prior notice to the traders, as the delegates were told, on grounds of contravention to building permits and approvals of the Lagos State government.
The demolitions which were also reportedly done without recourse to the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Management Board (LITFCMB), the federal government agency overseeing the complex, had drawn the ire of many Nigerians who viewed the exercise as an unfair and unjust treatment of the affected traders.
In his reaction during the tour, Senator Austin Akobundu declared that the demolition exercise was not the right approach to resolving whatever issues there were with the buildings, especially given that neither the Management Board of the Complex nor the federal supervising ministry was informed of any breaches by the traders before the exercise was carried out. He vowed that the matter would be taken up at the National Assembly with a view to resolving and finding a fair and lasting resolution to the issue.
Earlier, Mr Peter Obi expressed regrets over the exercise and wondered why it had to be carried out at such a time as this when citizens are reeling in economic hardship when the issue could have been resolved amicably. He extolled the traders for their orderly conduct so far and assured that the issue would be looked into.
Also speaking, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who was also visibly upset over the demolition, said “having gone round and seen everthing myself, I could not see any form of contravention or any building on drainage or canal.”
On his part, Senator Victor Umeh expressed shock at the level of destruction brought upon the traders as a result of the demolition exercise, describing it as unnecessary, coming at a time citizens were battling with economic hardship. He promised that both the supervising ministry and the Lagos State government would be called to a roundtable with a view to finding a lasting solution to and the prevention of a repetition of the exercise in the complex.
In their separate addresses, the Chairman of Trade Fair Stakeholders Association (TFSA), Chief Eric Ilechukwu, and the ASPMDA President, Hon. Ngozi Emchebe thanked the lawmakers and other members of the delegation for finding time to come on the assessment tour even without any form of formal invitation to them, saying their presence had given them hope. They assured that stakeholders at the trade fair complex would continue to be law-abiding and carry on with their businesses in the interest of the masses and the nation’s economy.
