The Lagos State government, on Thursday, directed that all ongoing construction works within the trade fair complex should be stopped until approval is given, warning that failure to comply will lead to the buildings being pulled down.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Olumide Oluyinka, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on E-GIS and Planning Matters, Dr Abiodun Babatunde Olajide, stated this during an enforcement exercise at the Lagos Trade Fair complex, where several buildings were partially demolished for failure of the owners to get planning permits from the state government.

The commissioner maintained that the effort was to ensure compliance within the trade fair for physical and environmental issues.

Speaking after a meeting with the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Management Board, Oluyinka said that all the buildings within the complex must show evidence of permits, stating that failure to present such will lead to pulling down the structures.

He insisted that the physical development within the complex must be in compliance with the state law.

He further said that as a responsive government, it will not tolerate chaotic developments.

He argued that the need for compliance with construction planning permits is also in the interest of all stakeholders because allowing the building and planning permits agency to carry out its duty will enhance the value of the property within the complex.

Oluyinka stated that the layout of the complex must be provided to the state government and that it should reflect that the construction within the complex abides by the layout.

He noted that though the trade fair complex is a property of the Federal Government, it has been converted to a full-fledged market and no longer a trade fair complex.

He argued that as a market, the state and the local council have oversight over the activities within the complex.

On his part, Olajide said the state government, with the enforcement exercise, wants to make it clear that there are regulations and the need for physical planning permits for all buildings.

He also stated that the complex is no longer a trade fair complex but a market, so every building must be approved and, every five years, it must be recertified that it is still fit for habitation.

The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex Management Board, Erelu Vera Ndanusa, however, said that all the buildings within the complex go through approval from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and anyone that does not follow specifications is usually pulled down with support from officers of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing as well as the police.

She felt bad that the state government came to the complex without consulting her, as she has oversight over the complex.

She, however, said that both parties have agreed to meet in a week’s time to iron out the differences, as both parties claim jurisdiction over what has been done.