The Lagos International Trade Fair, a major hub for marketers in Lagos, has been abruptly shut down by the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), causing a significant loss of over N2 billion.
The closure has been described as “sudden and unjust” by the Board of Trustees.
Former Chairman of the Trade Fair and Board of Trustees, Chief Daniel Oforkansi, expressed his dismay at the lack of communication from LAWMA while stating that no information or letter was provided prior to the closure.
“I don’t understand if LAWMA does not see us as humans. No information or letter was written to us to that effect; they just came to lock our shops,” Daniel said.
Continuing, he also added, “We do not owe them; we have receipts and evidence to prove it. And when you talk of markets in Nigeria and across Africa, the Lagos International Trade Fair is the pride of Africa. So you cannot quantify the amount that has been lost to the miss normal of LAWMA for just a day. The N2 billion cash transaction is too small to quantify the loss for today alone. So I don’t know what LAWMA is thinking about, but I know that in due time, the law will take its course.”
Also, Chief Eric Ilechukwu, representing the Trade Fair Stakeholders Forum, criticized LAWMA’s timing for the closure, especially considering the current economic climate following the removal of fuel subsidies.
Reports also suggest that efforts to reach LAWMA’s Director of Head of Public Affairs, Mrs. Folashade Kadiri, have so far proved abortive.
However, Director of Public Affairs for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina, on his X handle, confirmed that the enforcement was carried out due to poor waste disposal practices and general environmental sanitation infractions.
The closure has sparked protests among traders who are calling on the state government to reopen the market as they are losing revenue due to the closure.