Lagos Denies Ethnic Bias in Trade Fair Complex Demolition
The Lagos State Government has denied allegations that its recent demolition of structures at the Trade Fair Complex was targeted at a specific ethnic group. The State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olumide Oluyinka, stated that the action was purely to enforce urban planning laws and ensure safety. He explained that numerous shops and buildings within the complex were constructed without government approval and violated safety standards. “The fact is that we just have to do our work. There is nothing ethnic here; it is purely technical,” Oluyinka said during a television interview. The Commissioner revealed that traders and the complex management had been given multiple notices before the demolition. He reported that government officials were harassed and even detained for hours on two separate occasions when they tried to issue these warnings. He also blamed the complex […]