Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has condemned the recent demolitions at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, describing them as unlawful and beyond the jurisdiction of the Lagos State Government.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Umeh said the move by the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning was “a clear breach of the law and an affront to due process.”
“The country is governed by laws and the constitution. I’m disappointed that the Commissioner for Physical Planning in Lagos State came on air to justify an illegal action,” he stated.
According to him, the Trade Fair Complex is a federal property managed by the Federal Government through the Trade Fair Management Board, and therefore not under Lagos State’s control.
“The Trade Fair Complex is a federal establishment where the Lagos State Government moved in with heavy machinery to destroy people’s properties and investments without justification,” Umeh said.
“Federal lands are managed by federal agencies, not state governments. Such properties are recorded in the Federal Land Registry in Ikoyi, not in the Lagos Land Registry in Alausa.”
Umeh, who is also a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, maintained that the state government had no authority to act on federal land.
He emphasized that the Trade Fair Management Board has always handled all administrative functions, including development approvals, property rates, and ground rent.
“The Lagos State Government has never performed any of these duties there until about two weeks ago when they moved in to demolish buildings on September 25,” he said.
The senator further described the demolitions as an “intrusion,” stating that neither the board nor traders received prior notice.
Umeh also refuted claims that the demolished buildings were erected on canals or without proper approval, insisting that all structures were duly approved by the Trade Fair Management Board.
