The Lagos State Government on Thursday began demolition of illegal structures at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, leaving many traders and shop owners worried about the future of their businesses.
Bulldozers pulled down marked structures as officials from the Ministry of Physical Planning, the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Urban Renewal Agency, and the Physical Planning Permit Authority carried out the operation. Security operatives were also on ground to provide support.
While the government insists the exercise is necessary to restore order and enforce planning laws, affected traders expressed concerns about their livelihood. Some shop owners lamented that the demolition would cripple their businesses, leaving them with huge financial losses.
One trader, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Chioma, said: “We are not against development, but the government should also consider those of us feeding our families through these shops. Many of us were not given enough time to make alternative plans.”
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s aide on New Media, Jubril Gawat, defended the exercise, explaining that it targeted illegal and defective structures, as well as buildings erected on road setbacks and drainages. “The government cannot fold its arms while unapproved developments block critical infrastructure and endanger lives,” he wrote on X.
The Sanwo-Olu administration has consistently warned against erecting buildings without approvals or blocking drainage channels, noting that such actions worsen flooding and traffic congestion in Lagos.
However, for traders at the Trade Fair Complex, the demolition has created uncertainty. “I invested all my savings here, and now it’s gone in one day. The government should at least provide us with relocation support,” another affected shop owner, Mr. Olalekan, complained.
The operation follows the expiration of the state’s amnesty programme which gave owners of unapproved buildings a chance to regularise their structures without penalty. With the grace period over, enforcement has intensified across the state.
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