- Safiu Kehinde
The Lekki Automobile Dealerships Union has defended the Lagos State Government’s demolition of their showrooms, disclosing that they were duly notified and given grace period by the state government to relocate before the demolition.
This is coming under the heels of backlash and criticism over the demolition exercise which also saw popular social media influencer and luxury car reviewer, Ola of Lagos, loses his showroom.
Reacting to the backlash against the government, the automobile dealers, in a statement issued on Wednesday, held that the demolition carried out by the state’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources in conjunction with the Ministry of Transportation was done to address critical urban planning needs.
They affirmed that they were adequately notified and also given enough time to evacuate.
“We acknowledge and fully understand the necessity of this exercise which is aimed at addressing critical urban planning needs especially the maintenance and development of drainage infrastructure to mitigate flooding and to ensure the safety of lives and property from hazards such as high-tension electricity cables.
“We affirm that adequate notice was given to us ahead of this exercise.
“We were afforded a grace period to relocate our vehicles and materials; a consideration we deeply appreciate, facilitated through the offices of the Honourable Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab and the Honourable Commissioner for Transportation; Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi and Honourable Oluwadahunsi Ogunkelu of the State House of Assembly.
The Lekki Automobile Dealership Union further disclosed the terms attached to the permit issued to them by the government when they were allocated the space.
Coupled with the yearly renewal of the permits, the car deals noted that they were restricted from constructing permanent structures on the allocated spaces which were also non-transferable.
“To promote transparency and accurate understanding, we wish to emphasize the following regarding spaces allocated to our businesses:
“Provisional Allocation: The permits issued by the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Transportation are provisional in nature and are subject to yearly renewal.
“Restriction on Permanent Structures: Under this provisional arrangement. the construction of permanent structures and/or the use of concrete on the allocated spaces is strictly prohibited.
“Non-transferability. The allocated spaces are non-transferable. Any person or entity wishing to operate in these areas must apply directly through the Lagos State Government for proper approval.” They wrote.
The union urged all stakeholders, members of the public and their loyal customers to refrain negative sensationalism making rounds on social media.
“The Lekki Automobile Dealerships Union wishes to clarify that a directive was jointly issued by the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Transportation instructing all automobile dealers along designated sections of the Lekki Expressway corridor to evacuate their vehicles to allow preliminary environmental assessments to be carried out.
“While the majority of dealerships complied with this directive within the stipulated period, some operators regrettably failed to do so and consequently had their structures cleared in accordance with government regulations.
“As a Union, we fully understand the importance of environmental management and lawful compliance and therefore respectfully dissociate ourselves from the social media reactions and commentary that present a false and incomplete narrative of the situation.” The statement read further.