- Safiu Kehinde
The Lagos State government has announced plan to demolish illegal structures and extensions in Mandilas market following Tuesday fire incident which destroyed millions worth of goods at the Central Plaza shopping complex.
NPO Reported that fire had broken out at the plaza on Tuesday night few hours after similar fire outbreak occurred at the Afriland Towers along the popular Broad Street.
In the wake of the incident, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Office of Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, on Thursday visited the market where he announced the plan to demolish illegal structures and extensions within the market.
As captured in a video shared on X, Oki, while addressing the traders, disclosed that excavators will be deployed to the market on Friday for the demolition.
The former General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) charged the traders to evacuate before the arrival of the enforcement team.
“If you attach extension to your building and while removing it, it affects the building, the whole building will go. I’m telling you now.
“Tell all the people that you have collected money from that are using that extension that they should move away. You have the deadline till Friday.
“Because the next thing you will be saying is that LASBCA came around 12 midnight. I’m not here 12 midnight. I’m telling you now and all of you are listening.
“I’m going to come here in the evening on Friday. I’m going to start pulling down because you can’t be causing inconvenience in Lagos State.” He said.
The visibly enraged ex-LASBCA boss switched to Yoruba as he decried the spate of fire incident in the area.
“You are not the only ones here. Three fire incidents have been reported within how many days. Aren’t you the ones that sponsored our education? Don’t you have children currently in school?
“Are they happy coming here? How many of them are coming to see you here? Even the marketers cannot stay here. Where you are buying your products from, is this how the place looks?” He said.
Oki reiterated his plan to mobilise enforcement team and excavator to the market on Friday to carry out the demolition.
“I’m telling you now before you say thieves and government officials steal your properties.
“You have from now to Friday to remove all your goods in the extension because when we start removing, there is no stopping.
“Any building that is blocking the tractor are going to go. You can’t be wasting taxpayers’ money.” He added