And the Lagos State Government Demolished Chido's Dream

Chido relocated to Lagos from Onitsha two decades ago.

His dad was a lace fabric mogul in Onitsha, and he wanted to replicate the same success in Lagos, the city famous for its cultural melting point and its diversity.

He came here with the little capital he could afford at the time and then pitched his tent at Idumota Market in Lagos Island, where fabrics of all kinds are sold.

Brick by brick, mortal by mortal, he was able to grow as the God of wealth favored him.

He got married here as well, and all his kids were born in Lagos.

He just built his first house in the same estate where I live in Lagos and moved into the property three years ago.

A remarkable accomplishment for a man who came here with virtually nothing but his dream

Business was moving fine, and one day he had this wave length, a master stroke that he believed would change the fortunes of his business.

Why not build a plaza that will serve as an additional revenue stream for his business?

An agent introduced him to a family from Lagos State willing to lease their land for such a venture on Lagos Island.

A sum of 30 million naira was agreed upon between Chido and the family that owns the land, and a lease of 15 years was also agreed upon with an option to renew.

With the agreement in place, the necessary approvals and permissions from the Lagos State Government were sought and given.

Work commenced on site sometime last year. The idea was to build a 90-stores plaza, a befitting modern plaza that could rival Tayo Amusan's plazas.

Work was completed on site last month; traders have paid for all the shops, and the property was penciled down to be commissioned this Saturday, and that is when the drama started.

Unknown to Chido and his wife, Amaka Okoli-Chidozie, LASBCA (Lagos State Building Control Agency) has been sending notices of outstanding payments to them to pay up.

Even though they paid all the necessary dues before they began their buildings, they did not know that another payment was waiting for them to clear.

They only knew about the payment last week on Monday, and on Tuesday, the sum of 4.5 million naira was paid by Chido.

The money was payd through bank transfer and a receipt was instantly issued to him.

But more drama is on the way for the 42-year-old businessman.

It was on a Saturday night when his phone rang, and he picked it up. The caller on the line was calling to inform him whether he was aware that LASBCA (Lagos State Building Control Agency) was coming to demolish his new plaza.

He rushed to the site only to meet bulldozers, armed police, and men of LASBCA (Lagos State Building Control Agency) pulling down his hard work.

A project that cost him over 200 million naira to erect.

For proper context; there was no notice by this agency that they were coming to demolish.

It was more or less an ambush.

When he tried to call the GM of the agency, the man was not picking up his calls.

In that state of confusion, he was dialing the number of anyone he believed could help him, but help was not forthcoming; rather, he was told that the governor gave approval for his building to be demolished.

It was a sad Chido who went to meet the GM of the agency that demolished his plaza the next day, Monday, to understand what his offense was.

He was told that the building was demolished because he did not pay the necessary building regulatory fees.

I paid, and I have my receipts to show what he told the man.

Seeing that Chido had his receipt of payment, the Oga quizzed Chido to understand who cleared and accepted his payment.

He mentioned one Mr. Tunde.

But Tunde was with us the day we deliberated on how to demolish your building, the GM said.

He didn't even bring up the subject of your payment.

He was even with our men when the building was brought down.

How come?

What kind of man is this? The GM wondered.

So a call was placed by the GM to Mr. Tunde to understand why he kept him in the dark when Chido had paid his fee.

Tunde on the other line started stammering.

You know

I'm sorry, sir( Ana ede ebe Nile).

The deed has been done and cannot be reversed.

Chido's 200 million naira dream has been demolished by the Lagos State government.

I spoke to multiple traders in Lagos Island before writing this to understand what Chido’s crime was; the general consensus is that Chido's only crime appears to be that he is an Igbo man who chose to invest in Lagos.

Unfortunately, there won't be any consequences for those who intentionally choose to demolish a commercial building, even if the owner did nothing wrong.

For the Tunde of this world, life moves on.

The evil they are happy about will one day make them the saddest.

Hmm

TemplarLandry:
Eze, you'll be fine.

Is that all you could say! TemplarLandry

Where there is a right there is a remedy. He should go to court and have his rights enforced with punitive costs against the LASG and damages awarded him. Height of executive recklessness!

Can you imagine you demolish 200million property unjustly just because you are a governor today.

Why cant you go and demolish iyabo ojo house or shop when you accuse her of not paying 18million naira tax. Remember you will not be governor forever o

ezechi242:
And the Lagos State Government Demolished Chido's Dream

Chido relocated to Lagos from Onitsha two decades ago.

His dad was a lace fabric mogul in Onitsha, and he wanted to replicate the same success in Lagos, the city famous for its cultural melting point and its diversity.

He came here with the little capital he could afford at the time and then pitched his tent at Idumota Market in Lagos Island, where fabrics of all kinds are sold.

Brick by brick, mortal by mortal, he was able to grow as the God of wealth favored him.

He got married here as well, and all his kids were born in Lagos.

He just built his first house in the same estate where I live in Lagos and moved into the property three years ago.

A remarkable accomplishment for a man who came here with virtually nothing but his dream

Business was moving fine, and one day he had this wave length, a master stroke that he believed would change the fortunes of his business.

Why not build a plaza that will serve as an additional revenue stream for his business?

An agent introduced him to a family from Lagos State willing to lease their land for such a venture on Lagos Island.

A sum of 30 million naira was agreed upon between Chido and the family that owns the land, and a lease of 15 years was also agreed upon with an option to renew.

With the agreement in place, the necessary approvals and permissions from the Lagos State Government were sought and given.

Work commenced on site sometime last year. The idea was to build a 90-stores plaza, a befitting modern plaza that could rival Tayo Amusan's plazas.

Work was completed on site last month; traders have paid for all the shops, and the property was penciled down to be commissioned this Saturday, and that is when the drama started.

Unknown to Chido and his wife, Amaka Okoli-Chidozie, LASBCA (Lagos State Building Control Agency) has been sending notices of outstanding payments to them to pay up.

Even though they paid all the necessary dues before they began their buildings, they did not know that another payment was waiting for them to clear.

They only knew about the payment last week on Monday, and on Tuesday, the sum of 4.5 million naira was paid by Chido.

The money was payd through bank transfer and a receipt was instantly issued to him.

But more drama is on the way for the 42-year-old businessman.

It was on a Saturday night when his phone rang, and he picked it up. The caller on the line was calling to inform him whether he was aware that LASBCA (Lagos State Building Control Agency) was coming to demolish his new plaza.

He rushed to the site only to meet bulldozers, armed police, and men of LASBCA (Lagos State Building Control Agency) pulling down his hard work.

A project that cost him over 200 million naira to erect.

For proper context; there was no notice by this agency that they were coming to demolish.

It was more or less an ambush.

When he tried to call the GM of the agency, the man was not picking up his calls.

In that state of confusion, he was dialing the number of anyone he believed could help him, but help was not forthcoming; rather, he was told that the governor gave approval for his building to be demolished.

It was a sad Chido who went to meet the GM of the agency that demolished his plaza the next day, Monday, to understand what his offense was.

He was told that the building was demolished because he did not pay the necessary building regulatory fees.

I paid, and I have my receipts to show what he told the man.

Seeing that Chido had his receipt of payment, the Oga quizzed Chido to understand who cleared and accepted his payment.

He mentioned one Mr. Tunde.

But Tunde was with us the day we deliberated on how to demolish your building, the GM said.

He didn't even bring up the subject of your payment.

He was even with our men when the building was brought down.

How come?

What kind of man is this? The GM wondered.

So a call was placed by the GM to Mr. Tunde to understand why he kept him in the dark when Chido had paid his fee.

Tunde on the other line started stammering.

You know

I'm sorry, sir( Ana ede ebe Nile).

The deed has been done and cannot be reversed.

Chido's 200 million naira dream has been demolished by the Lagos State government.

I spoke to multiple traders in Lagos Island before writing this to understand what Chido’s crime was; the general consensus is that Chido's only crime appears to be that he is an Igbo man who chose to invest in Lagos.

Unfortunately, there won't be any consequences for those who intentionally choose to demolish a commercial building, even if the owner did nothing wrong.

For the Tunde of this world, life moves on.

The evil they are happy about will one day make them the saddest.

u igbos n your useless victim mentality

I can bet this is not the true story n beside d chido should go n build whatever he wants to build in his region

Are you sure they can pull down a building because of non payment of fees.

Oponu people

zoedew:
Where there is a right there is a remedy. He should go to court and have his rights enforced with punitive costs against the LASG and damages awarded him. Height of executive recklessness!

Lol. You don't know Lagos state judiciary. Tinubu has ruined the entire internal systems of the state with raw bigotry and ethnocentrism

Sharpsharp00123:
u igbos n your useless victim mentality

I can bet this is not the true story n beside d chido should go n build whatever he wants to build in his region

The word of the Lord says we will give account even to the slightest of words. Are you sure that this narrative is right. Tomorrow belongs to God and you don't know if your descendants will have cause to relocate to the SE or other regions in future. Would we throw away truth, justice and righteousness to promote ethic inclined.narratives. if we do this, Christ means nothing to us

You are not having your ways anymore and the reservoir of your sympathy dried up when you foolishly came out and declared the ancestral homes of Yoruba people a no man's land.

You have overstretched your boundaries when you tried foisting 'Shinedu Rhodes Vivor' as the governor of Lagos state and openly challenged the Yoruba people.
Wait until after 4 years to lament and trust me this is just the beginning.

What a story, he paid to one Tunde instead of paying to the Lagos state government? this story sounds fabricated

Wodu89:



The word of the Lord says we will give account even to the slightest of words. Are you sure that this narrative is right. Tomorrow belongs to God and you don't know if your descendants will have cause to relocate to the SE or other regions in future. Would we throw away truth, justice and righteousness to promote ethic inclined.narratives. if we do this, Christ means nothing to us

my descendants will never have any course to go to south east where their children are built to hate

My children can go anywhere they like but not d land of d rising hate

U igbos should think deep n ask yourself y only u people have problem with others, forget d lies if they envy us or all those lines u use to deceive yourself

There’s something nauseating in your attitude that is making people resent u but u don’t want to check yourself

Only u have problem with north sote dem give u quit notice
Only u have problem in south west sote u claim no man’s land
Only u igbos have problem in Ghana that they lock your shops
Only u have problem in South Africa that u claim xenophobia
Only u have problem in India

U igbos should check yourselves n stop lieing to yourselves

Imagine there are 10 people in a place n only one person is complaining about everyone, the one complaining is d problem

stay in your south east....

no wahala....

This should be an eye opener.

THE HATE IS REAL

pandoragirigory:
What a story, he paid to one Tunde instead of paying to the Lagos state government? this story sounds fabricated

u dey mind d mumu op that is playing victim mentality

If not that d op is a dingbat, imagine useless story the didinrin brought out maybe he thought he’s dealing with d same mumus that believe buhari was cloned n trump will come n conduct referendum in Nigeria

proff010:
Are you sure they can pull down a building because of non payment of fees.

u dey mind d mumu op

So tundes account is lagos state government account?

He should go n collect his money from Tunde now, I guess the chido doesn’t want to pay d required sum so he wanted d easy way out but cutting corners not knowing this is lagos n not anambala

TimeMachine2:
You are not having your ways anymore and the reservoir of your sympathy dried up when you foolishly came out and declared the ancestral homes of Yoruba people a no man's land.

You have overstretched your boundaries when you tried foisting 'Shinedu Rhodes Vivor' as the governor of Lagos state and openly challenged the Yoruba people.
Wait until after 4 years to lament and trust me this is just the beginning.

the igbos still believe it’s business as usual

U call our land no man’s land n still expect d same love we have for u

just invest and stay in your south east....
the image damage of igbos is already done....wailin will not change anything....

we warned you igbos for years to reconsider how you interact with other tribes,una didnt listen....

you are the only tribe complainin in nigeria now....

wike,a south southerner is now governor of fct now....

dont even dare add us south southerners to your wahalas now....

Ofunaofu:


Is that all you could say! TemplarLandry

ehn...??

you want him to cry for you....??

Sharpsharp00123:
my descendants will never have any course to go to south east where their children are built to hate

My children can go anywhere they like but not d land of d rising hate

U igbos should think deep n ask yourself y only u people have problem with others, forget d lies if they envy us or all those lines u use to deceive yourself

There’s something nauseating in your attitude that is making people resent u but u don’t want to check yourself

Only u have problem with north sote dem give u quit notice
Only u have problem in south west sote u claim no man’s land
Only u igbos have problem in Ghana that they lock your shops
Only u have problem in South Africa that u claim xenophobia
Only u have problem in India

U igbos should check yourselves n stop lieing to yourselves

Imagine there are 10 people in a place n only one person is complaining about everyone, the one complaining is d problem

Tomorrow belongs to God only. Be humble

I'm not igbo neither have I ever been the east. Again I say be humble

Fck off back to Biafra

Sharpsharp00123:
u igbos n your useless victim mentality

I can bet this is not the true story n beside d chido should go n build whatever he wants to build in his region

kiki....this people cry wolf too much....
its hard to believe anything they say today....

pandoragirigory:
What a story, he paid to one Tunde instead of paying to the Lagos state government? this story sounds fabricated

tunde yahooed them....

sold it,reported the fraud,denied anything,attended pullin down....

kiki....

shebi una say,una oversmart....

oya na....

una wan go mess with yorubas....
you igbos realy know nothing about nigeria....

You can relocate to onistha if you don't like it

This is very sad, if this narrative is the truth, then the lasg is not fair to these crop of rich Igbo fools that choose to Abaddon their own place of origin and choose to increase the igr of another state, and accelerated the development of another state, instead of their own state, even when they have realized that there is nothing like a united Nigeria.
However this victim can seek a legal redress from a federal high court, to recover his wasteful expenditures.
Lagos state government, don't stop chasing away your potential investors, until Lagos state become too hostile for any serious investor from the east to invest in Lagos.
then you could well be doing us a huge favor, if you can make our rich investors to think home, as their first option for investment.

The funniest part be say, una never see anything, nobody will tell you to move your 2 by 2 shops back to where you come from in few years to come because there is nothing for you in SW again. You guys really cross your boundaries and underestimate the owner of the terrestrial

Let Chido develop his dream in Anambra if it was such a fruitful place.
1. Chido went and paid money to Mr Tunde instead of paying into Lagos state government account. Chido was trying to cut corners instead of abiding by the law, he was trying to cheat Lagos state government

2. Before a building is demolished, there are series of warning and markings that come with it. Demolition just don't start over night

3. Whoever the OP is must have thought we were dumbos on Niairaland, and won't question his lies

nonesense....

they tried to bribe themselves through,that even bribe became expensive....

the mininum they could have done is to check if the account even belongs to lagos goverment....
thats very easy to check online....

what we have here is a case of bribery going wrong....

mumu people....