Senator Victor Umeh, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, has strongly refuted the Lagos State Government’s claim that the recent demolition of structures at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex was due to illegal constructions on canals and drainage channels.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, October 6, 2025, Umeh described the explanation by the Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning as “false and misleading.” He stated that his on-site assessment of the complex revealed no evidence that any of the buildings were erected on restricted areas.
“I read in the newspapers that those buildings were constructed on canals and drainages. That’s not true,” Umeh said firmly. “We went there and moved around the entire complex. No building was standing on a canal or a drainage channel.”
The lawmaker, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing and Urban Development, noted that the Trade Fair Complex is a federal property, managed by the Trade Fair Management Board under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment — not the Lagos State Government. He stressed that the state authorities had no legal basis to carry out the demolitions.
“All the structures you see there were approved by the Trade Fair Management Board. Lagos State has never issued a single development permit or collected any levy in that area for over 30 years,” Umeh explained.
The senator criticized what he described as a pattern of intimidation and disregard for due process in the state’s enforcement actions. He alleged that the demolitions were carried out without prior notice to the affected traders, contrary to the principles of fair hearing and human rights guaranteed by the constitution.
Umeh, a professional estate surveyor and valuer, further emphasized that the boundaries between federal and state lands are clearly defined in Nigerian law. He accused the Lagos authorities of encroaching on federal land and attempting to justify their actions with what he called “false claims.”
The senator’s comments follow rising public outrage over the demolitions, which have displaced hundreds of traders and raised questions about the protection of business investments in Lagos. Many stakeholders, especially from the Southeast, have decried what they perceive as a targeted attack on their economic interests in the state.Continue, Full, Reading>>>>
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