Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has appealed to the Lagos State government to temper law enforcement with compassion in its ongoing demolition of markets and structures at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex.
Obi’s comment follows his recent visit to the site of the demolished ASPAMDA Market, where several traders have lost their shops and goods worth billions of naira. The former Anambra State governor described the situation as a test of the government’s sense of justice, fairness, and empathy.
“The law is important, but legal justification should never override moral responsibility,” he said in a statement shared on his X handle on Tuesday.
“A government should not pride itself on being legally correct if, in the process, it becomes morally wrong.”
Obi Questions Necessity of Demolitions
The Lagos State government has defended its action, with the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olumide Oluyinka, stating that the demolition was purely technical and not targeted at any ethnic group, contrary to claims in some quarters.
However, Obi questioned whether the large-scale destruction was the most humane or effective approach. He acknowledged that while the government may have legal grounds, enforcing the law should not translate into inflicting what he described as “undeserved pain” on citizens.
“Those seeking to justify the current demolitions in ASPAMDA Market, Lagos, and similar situations across Nigeria, must be reminded that the law is not an end in itself; it is a means to ensure order, peace, and the protection of human dignity,” Obi said. “When the law becomes an instrument to inflict undeserved pain, enforced without compassion or regard for human welfare, it ceases to serve justice.”
He further argued that if affected traders had indeed failed to obtain necessary approvals, the government should have pursued regularisation rather than outright destruction of livelihoods.
“Does it truly serve justice to destroy billions of naira worth of investments and livelihoods when less destructive remedies could have sufficed?” he asked.
To illustrate his point, Obi recalled an experience abroad where a government handled illegal structures through due process and gradual relocation rather than abrupt demolitions. He suggested that the same level of consideration should guide public policy decisions in Nigeria.
“It is like punishing a man who stole a bicycle with death instead of imprisonment, a sentence grossly disproportionate to the offence,” Obi said.
“That is what these demolitions represent: a punishment that far outweighs any alleged infraction.”
Calls for Empathy and Accountability in Governance
The former governor urged public officials to recognize that leadership involves balancing law with empathy, particularly when citizens’ livelihoods are at stake. “My appeal is simple: governance must always balance law with compassion,” he said. “Justice, to be just, must be tempered with mercy.”
Obi added that true leadership is revealed not by the strict enforcement of rules but by how power is exercised in ways that preserve human dignity and compassion. “These demolitions are a test of our collective humanity,” he said. “Power must always be exercised with empathy, for it is in how we treat the vulnerable that the true character of leadership is revealed.”
His comments have reignited public debate on how urban planning and law enforcement are carried out across Nigerian states, particularly in densely populated commercial areas. Many critics of the recent demolitions argue that while urban renewal is necessary, it should be implemented with proper notice, stakeholder engagement, and compensation to affected business owners.
In response, the Lagos State government maintains that the structures at the Trade Fair Complex were illegal extensions that violated building regulations and obstructed emergency access routes. Officials insist that several warnings had been issued before the final demolition exercise.
Despite the government’s defense, observers say the demolitions highlight a deeper tension between urban development and socioeconomic welfare. While some support the government’s resolve to restore order to public spaces, others believe such measures should never come at the cost of human dignity or economic survival.
Peter Obi’s intervention, according to analysts, reflects his long-standing advocacy for people-centered governance, one that prioritizes the welfare of ordinary citizens even in the enforcement of state policies.
As the controversy continues, many traders at the demolished ASPAMDA Market remain uncertain about their future, with calls growing for the Lagos State government to engage affected communities and explore less disruptive ways of enforcing compliance in the future.
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