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Lagos Govt Reaffirms Crackdown on Illegal Buildings at Trade Fair, Gives Two-Week Deadline
By Deborah Oladapo
The Lagos State Government has renewed its enforcement campaign against illegal and unapproved buildings within the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, warning that such developments pose serious threats to public safety and urban order.
In a statement on Thursday, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, reiterated that the government’s zero-tolerance stance on unregulated construction remains non-negotiable.
He said the exercise was aimed at ensuring a safe and sustainable environment in line with the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2019 and the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act of 1992, as well as a 2003 Supreme Court judgment which empowers states to control physical development within their territories.
“Over time, the Trade Fair Complex has degenerated into an enclave of haphazard and unsafe structures, posing grave risks to public safety and emergency response,” the statement read.
“The Lagos State Government reiterates its zero tolerance for illegal and unapproved developments within the Trade Fair Complex, pending full compliance with planning regulations and the attainment of a safe, orderly, and sustainable physical environment.”
According to Jubril Gawat, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, all developers and occupants of buildings within the complex have been given a two-week window to regularise their building approvals with the ministry.
Olumide clarified that the enforcement was not about land ownership or title disputes but about ensuring that every structure within the state has a valid planning permit.
He warned against attempts to politicise the operation or attach ethnic meaning to it, following recent speculation that demolitions in the area targeted a particular ethnic group.
“It is wrong for anyone to attribute ethnic motives to the enforcement. The government’s actions are guided strictly by law and by the need to protect lives and property,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner added that similar clean-up exercises had been carried out in other areas — including Pelewura Market, Bombata Market, LSDPC Ilasan Estate, Otumara in Ebute Metta, and Alaba Rago — reflecting the administration’s broader commitment to restoring order across Lagos.
He urged all stakeholders to cooperate with the ministry’s directives, noting that the goal was not punitive but corrective, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11, which calls for inclusive, safe, and resilient cities.
“This government will continue to act within its constitutional and statutory mandate to ensure that Lagos remains a safe, well-planned, and liveable city for all,” Olumide said.
