The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy on illegal and unapproved structures within the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, warning developers and occupants to regularise their building documents within two weeks or face demolition.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, made this known in a statement on Thursday, stressing that the state’s ongoing enforcement drive was aimed at ensuring safety and orderliness, not targeting any ethnic group.
Olumide said the demolition of unapproved structures at the complex was backed by law and consistent with the government’s mandate to create a safe and sustainable physical environment.
“Our actions are guided strictly by the law. The exercise at the Trade Fair Complex is not about land ownership or ethnicity—it is about ensuring that all buildings comply with physical planning regulations and possess valid permits,” he said.
He explained that the state’s enforcement is supported by a 2003 Supreme Court judgment, which empowers state governments to regulate physical developments within their territories, except in areas exclusively designated for federal use.
According to him, the directive also aligns with provisions of the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act of 1992 and the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2019.
The commissioner gave all developers and business owners at the complex a two-week grace period to regularise their structures with the ministry, warning that failure to comply would attract stiff sanctions, including demolition.
Olumide cautioned political figures and commentators, particularly from the South-East, against spreading misinformation or portraying the enforcement as ethnically motivated.
“It is wrong and misleading to attach ethnic meaning to the state government’s lawful enforcement exercise. Similar demolitions have taken place in several parts of Lagos—such as Pelewura Market, Bombata Market, Ilasan Estate, Otumara, Alaba Rago, and Oluwole Market—areas largely occupied by diverse ethnic groups,” he said.
The commissioner further noted that other states, including Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Imo, had carried out comparable demolition exercises in line with urban renewal and flood control measures.
“This is a collective responsibility to make our cities safer, cleaner, and more sustainable. We urge all residents and stakeholders to cooperate with the government’s efforts to maintain an orderly physical environment,” Olumide added.
He reiterated that the enforcement drive forms part of a broader statewide initiative to eliminate unapproved developments, restore public confidence in urban planning, and prevent building collapses that threaten lives and property.
