Few days after going through the pains of seeing their properties demolished by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development with no succour in sight, the affected traders erupted in joy and beamed with smiles as they welcomed a delegation of leaders who visited to commiserate with them and assess the situation with a view to finding a lasting solution to the crisis.
Among the delegation was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Tony Nwoye (Anambra North) and other federal lawmakers from the southeast and dignitaries from across the country.
During the assessment tour, the affected traders narrated how the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development on Thursday moved in and demolished some buildings in the complex without prior notice to the traders on grounds of contravention to building permits and approvals of the Lagos State government, a claim the traders vehemently refuted.
The victims also claimed that the demolitions were done without recourse to the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Management Board (LITFCMB), the federal government agency overseeing the complex, nor the supervising Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment.
In his reaction during the assessment tour, Senator Austin Akobundu declared that the demolition exercise was not the right approach to resolving whatever issues there were with the buildings, especially given that neither the Management Board of the Complex nor the federal supervising ministry was informed of any breaches by the traders before the exercise was carried out.
He assured that the matter would be taken up at the National Assembly with a view to resolving and finding a fair and lasting resolution to the issue.
Earlier, Mr Peter Obi expressed regrets over the exercise and wondered why it had to be carried out at such a time as this when citizens are reeling in economic hardship when the issue could have been resolved amicably.
He extolled the traders for their orderly conduct so far and assured that the issue would be looked into.
Also speaking, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who was also visibly upset over the demolition, said “having gone round and seen everthing myself, I could not see any form of contravention or any building on drainage or canal.”
On his part, Senator Victor Umeh expressed shock at the level of destruction brought upon the traders as a result of the demolition exercise, describing it as unnecessary, coming at a time citizens were battling with economic hardship.
He promised that both the supervising ministry and the Lagos State government would be called to a roundtable with a view to finding a lasting solution to and the prevention of a repetition of the exercise in the complex.
In their separate addresses, a visibly excited Chairman of Trade Fair Stakeholders Association (TFSA), Chief Eric Ilechukwu, and the ASPMDA President, Hon. Ngozi Emchebe thanked the lawmakers and other members of the delegation for finding time to come on the assessment tour even without any form of formal invitation to them, saying their presence had given them hope and pit smiles back on their faces.
They assured that stakeholders at the trade fair complex would continue to be law-abiding and carry on with their businesses in the interest of the masses and the nation’s economy.
