An agency of the federal government, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), on Tuesday said there are no plans to sell the Lagos Trade Fair Complex as speculated.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Bureau states that the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) does not intend to sell the Complex, rather the facility would be concessioned through a competitive transaction process,” BPE spokesman Amina Tukur Othman said in a statement.
Prior to the Othman’s statement, traders at the complex protested a rumoured sale of the complex by the government to a private company.
The Bureau on August 23, 2017, had announced that the government had terminated of its lease agreement with Aulic Nigeria Limited in some national dallies with effect from August 23, 2017.
However, Othman said the complex had not been sold, instead, the government plans to concession the facilities through a private firm- Messrs Feedback Infrastructure Services.
He explained that the government had “met with the entire traders’ associations to explain the essence of the planned concession.”
Othman cautioned traders not to transact with anyone on “any purported allotment, buying, selling, letting, leasing, charging, and subdivision, construction upon or dealings in connection with the said property and parcels of land in any other manner howsoever without the written permission of the FGN represented by the BPE is unlawful, illegal, fraudulent and amounts to trespass.”
It further warned that any person(s) interfering with the said parcels of land “stand to lose their money as the FGN through the BPE will neither honour agreements, contracts or arrangements entered into – to transact the property and or parcels of land whether.
The BPE spokesman added that government will not refund any monies paid in respect of such transactions.
