Several mechanics in Lagos lost their livelihoods on Friday as officials from the state government’s taskforce demolished the popular automobile market at First Gate, Agidingbi, Ikeja.
A video that surfaced online Saturday, posted by X user @chude_, showed distraught workers decrying what they perceived as ethnic discrimination by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration. Many also complained that they received little notice to vacate and were not offered any compensation.
Confirming the demolition, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, said the land belongs to the Lagos State Government, which has the authority to reclaim it without justification.
He dismissed claims from a displaced mechanic who said the Ojodu Local Government sold the land to them over 30 years ago. “Can anyone send you away from land you bought? They would’ve gone to court if that were true,” Akosile said.
Explaining the arrangement, he noted: “Mechanics typically lease such land through their associations, with government approval to prevent miscreants from taking over. But when the state decides to put the land to more productive use, they are informed to vacate — no explanation is necessary.”
Responding to allegations that workers were only given two days’ notice, Akosile rejected the claim. He said his own mechanic, who operates in the same market, told him that the leadership had been notified early but failed to inform others.
“I can bet my life they weren’t given just two days. My mechanic said, ‘Don’t mind our chairmen. They met with officials, got the notice, but didn’t tell us,’” Akosile said.
He added that he would follow up with the taskforce to get more clarity on the situation.
