Publish Details To Show Demolished Alaba Market Buildings Is Not Political Attack Against Igbos, Ezekwesili Tells Sanwo-Olu

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has asked Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to publish details of the buildings that were demolished by the state government at Alaba International Market, located in Ojo LGA of the Lagos.

Ezekwesili noted that publishing details of each of the buildings demolished would prove that the demolition of the structures was not a political attack against Igbo community at Alaba Market.

“I have a Policy advice for @jidesanwoolu that would be helpful for all sides and the public.

“Mr Governor, please immediately publish details of each destroyed building and the dateline of Due Process rules that were exhausted by your Government before it was “removed”.

“It will be wise for the Governor to take this counsel on Transparency and Full Disclosure since it would provide evidence to the public that this is not a vengeful political attack against the predominant Igbo community in Alaba Market,” she tweeted on Tuesday via her Twitter handle @obyezeks.

Ezekwesili also advised the Lagos State government and President Bola Tinubu, not to fan embers of discord, adding that politics of vendetta does not do anyone good.

“Let me also use this opportunity to really again advise the @followlasg and its cheerleaders including @officialABAT to be careful in persisting to brew a terribly toxic atmosphere against fellow citizens since before, during and after the 2023 elections.

“Governance by maliciousness does no one any good. A word is sufficient for only the wise,” she added.

THE WHISTLER recalls that the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) had on Sunday, demolished 17 distressed structures at the market, which is dominated by people of Igbo extraction.

On Friday, LASBCA had given final warnings and vacation notices to the occupants of the affected buildings.

According to LASBCA, vacation notices were first issued in 2016, noting that others were issued in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

“These buildings marked within this ALABA International Market would have been included in the list of 349 distressed buildings earlier published in different national newspapers this year but because the occupants were always harassing our officers, it was impossible to capture the details of the structures and include them in the publication,” the General Manager of LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, had said on Friday.

“What we have done now is a joint exercise carried out by both the Lagos Task Force officers and the demolition gang of Lagos State Building Control Agency. The buildings would be demolished”, he noted.

Acknowledging the impact the demolition of the distressed buildings, which were used for commercial purpose would have on commercial activities within the market, Oki had said the buildings had to go to avoid putting the lives of innocent persons at risk.

“We know that this area is a commercial centre and one of the busiest markets in Lagos State but despite this, we cannot fold our arms and allow irregularities to continue to thrive in the market where the lives of innocent persons would be put at risk because of the failure of a few set of individuals who have refused to do the needful,” he had said.

However, some traders had alleged that the buildings were demolished because Igbos did not vote for Sanwo-Olu, in the 2023 governorship election, a claim which has been dismissed by Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the state.

Speaking with THE WHISTLER on Monday, the President of Ohanaeze in the state, Chief Ogbonna Aguene, noted that the demolition of the buildings had no political undertone, adding that vacation notices were given beforehand to the occupants.