Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has condemned the recent demolitions at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, calling the action by the Lagos State Government unlawful and beyond its legal authority.
“What the Commissioner for Physical Planning in Lagos State did was an affront and a breach of the law,” he stated.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme aired on Monday, Umeh criticised the Commissioner for Physical Planning for what he described as an abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law.
“The issue is about dealing with human beings with consideration of the law. The country is governed by the constitution and a set of laws,” Umeh said. “I am disappointed to hear that the Commissioner for Physical Planning in Lagos State came to justify his illegal action.”
He stressed that the Trade Fair Complex remains federal property under the supervision of the Federal Government.
“The Trade Fair Complex is the subject matter where the Lagos State Government moved in with heavy machines to destroy people’s investments and buildings without justification,” he said.
Explaining further, the senator noted that “Federal lands are under the control of federal agencies, not the state government. There are federal lands and there are state lands. If you go to Lagos, any property belonging to the Federal Government is recorded in the Federal Land Registry in Ikoyi, not in the Land Registry in Alausa.”
Umeh, who is also a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, maintained that the Lagos State Government had no legal right to act on the property.
“What the Commissioner for Physical Planning in Lagos State did was an affront and a breach of the law,” he reiterated.
He added that the Trade Fair Management Board has always handled the complex’s administrative functions, including development approvals, property rates, and ground rent collection.
“The Lagos State Government has never gone there to carry out any of those functions until about two weeks ago when they moved in to bring down the buildings on September 25,” he said.
Describing the event as “an intrusion,” Umeh said neither the management board nor the traders were notified before the demolitions began.
“They were also shocked that the Lagos State Government could move into that place without notice. Even the traders were not written or questioned over anything,” he said.
He also dismissed reports claiming that the affected structures were built on canals or without proper approval, stating that “All those buildings that were erected there were approved by the Trade Fair Management Board.”