Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu has urged President Tinubu to halt demolitions at Lagos Trade Fair Complex.
He appealed for dialogue to help traders regularize documents instead of losing properties completely.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing demolition of properties belonging to traders at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos.
Kalu made the plea during an event attended on behalf of the president by the Minister of Works, David Umahi. He expressed concern that the exercise has caused deep distress among affected residents, many of whom he said were struggling to cope with current economic hardship.
According to Kalu, the demolition of homes and offices has left families devastated. He urged the Federal Government to engage with Lagos State authorities to create an alternative process that would allow property owners who lack proper documentation to regularize their papers instead of losing their investments outright.
“My request is that those without the required approvals should be given an opportunity to come forward and sort out their documents,” Kalu said. “It is painful to see people’s houses pulled down at a time like this. I believe the president, who has shown care for the South-East, will listen to this appeal.”
The Deputy Speaker also used the occasion to call for greater attention to the South-East’s economic needs, particularly the development of modern seaports to support the region’s vibrant trading community. He said improving infrastructure and boosting trade would not only benefit the South-East but also strengthen Nigeria’s overall economy.
The appeal comes in the wake of the September 25 demolition exercise at the Trade Fair Complex, coordinated by the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning alongside its Building Control Agency, Urban Renewal Agency, and Physical Planning Permit Authority. Officials justified the move as targeting illegal and unsafe structures, but the operation has since drawn criticism from affected traders and regional leaders.
