The Lagos State Government on Thursday began demolishing unsafe and illegal buildings at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo.

The operation was jointly carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning, the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Senior Special Assistant on New Media, Jubril Gawat, confirmed the exercise in a post on X. He said the demolition targeted “illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective buildings, and those erected on road setbacks and drainages.”

Also involved were the Office of Infrastructure, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, and security agencies who provided enforcement support.

The demolition comes a week after the state government suspended all reclamation projects across Lagos, citing environmental risks. Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the ministry was concerned about the proliferation of reclamation on wetlands, floodplains, and lagoons in areas including Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne, Ikoyi, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Oworonshoki, and parts of Ikorodu.

He warned that many projects lacked proper Environmental Impact Assessment approvals and drainage clearance. While acknowledging that reclamation could aid housing and infrastructure, Wahab cautioned that it also posed risks of flooding, erosion, and ecosystem damage.
“Lagos’s low-lying topography and fragile ecosystem cannot withstand indiscriminate reclamation activities without grave consequences,” he said.