Traders lament as Lagos govt demolishes 19 buildings at Trade Fair Plaza

By Efe Onodjae

No less than 19 buildings were, yesterday, demolished astatine the New Mandela Plaza, wrong the fashionable Trade Fair Complex, successful Lagos, arsenic the Lagos State authorities moved successful with dense information to enforce the exercise.

The demolition was carried retired nether choky security, with convoys of trucks from the Lagos State Task Force, Rapid Response Squad, and different tactical teams stationed astir the plaza. Stern-looking officers restricted entree to the premises and dispersed traders who attempted to grounds the operation.

By the clip of filing this report, respective targeted buildings wrong the plaza had already been reduced to rubble, sparking outrage among store owners, galore of whom claimed they were not fixed anterior notice.

One trader, speaking reluctantly, said: “We don’t adjacent cognize the crushed for the demolition. That’s wherefore you spot radical moving up and down, asking questions.” Another speculated that the affected structures whitethorn person been marked for being excessively adjacent to a canal.

A visibly agitated plaza owner, who arrived arsenic his store was being pulled down, shouted from his car that nary announcement was served earlier the bulldozers moved in. Several income representatives besides lamented that their bosses’ goods, inactive locked wrong shops, were destroyed on with the buildings.

Distraught traders told Vanguard that nary less than 19 buildings, each valued astatine implicit N150 million, were affected. One trader fumed: “If authorities doesn’t privation companies oregon improvement here, they should conscionable travel retired and accidental it. People person invested their beingness savings here. Over 19 buildings are successful that plaza.”

Another trader, Chief Magnus Ike, Chief Executive Officer, Magnus Merchandise, watched arsenic his multi-billion-Naira spot stood nary accidental against the bulldozers. He insisted helium had national support for the structure: “Honestly, I person not been served immoderate announcement from the Lagos State Government whatsoever. The lone notices we get present are from the Federal Government, and we comply. This gathering was inspected. Even the Ministry of Environment has been here. If determination is immoderate problem, the due happening is to notify us. You don’t conscionable fto radical get slope money, instrumentality loans, and past crush their concern overnight.”

Dismissing assertion that his spot sat connected a canal, helium gestured around: “Look for yourself, determination is nary canal here. Whatever their crushed is, owed process demands notice. None was given.”

Yet, lasting defiantly amid the ruins, said: “Demolition oregon not, I volition proceed to build. Lagos is for each of us, we spell nowhere.”

His younger brother, Mr. Magnus Ikenna, was arsenic distraught. He said: “Even arsenic of Wednesday, determination was nary motion of demolition. This morning, they conscionable moved successful with bulldozers and started tear-gassing everybody. They said we don’t person authorities approval, but since 2000 we’ve ever dealt with national authorities here. How tin the rules abruptly alteration overnight?”

Gesturing toward the rubble, helium added: “This is what idiosyncratic utilized years to build. Many of america borrowed from banks. Now look, however bash we repay? Government should travel to our assistance earlier radical commencement dying of bosom attack.”

Government’s defence

Amid the traders’ outrage, the Lagos State Government stood firm. Senior Special Assistant connected New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, confirmed the workout successful a station connected X. According to him, the demolition targeted “illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective structures, and buildings erected connected roadworthy setbacks and drainages.

“The Lagos State Government tin nary longer fold its arms portion unapproved developments artifact captious infrastructure and endanger lives,” helium said.

The cognition was jointly carried retired by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, with information operatives connected crushed for backup.

The Lagos Sate Government aboriginal ordered the discontinuation with the demolition, portion on-going constructions are to beryllium halted.

Leadership of the marketplace met with officials of the Lagos State Government, wherever they agreed to mee...