The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is reported to have visited the crisis ridden Lagos International Trade Fair Complex (LITFC) management office in Lagos State and grilled it’s new Managing Director, Chief Charles Harvester Okoye, over alleged financial discrepancies bordering on the sales of federal government Land at the complex.
Sources at the multi billion dollar complex hinted that the anti- graft agency were at the complex on Wednesday in their tinted official vehicle, which was later trailed behind by a Hilux vehicle belonging to the Trade Fair Complex, after questioning Chief Okoye in his office.
According to sources at the complex, who pleaded anonymity, such periodic visits are no longer strange as ‘visitations’ by EFCC and other security agencies have been occurring since Chief Okoye took over as the MD, through the connection of late Senator Annie Okonkwo.
However, following alleged dust raised, coupled with protest, petitions trailing the alleged untoward sale of the trade fair complex extension land reserved as green area for environmental purposes, opposition to Okoye’s style of leadership and management have skyrocketed.
For instance, he is alleged to have sub – concessionaired over 30 plots of the land bordering APT – BBA sections to an alleged unregistered Company called NEGALICON for 10 years. A company he allegedly has great interest in which also belongs to five of his prominent friends at the above mentioned market sections (names withheld).
The land in contention according to our findings is being sold between N25 million and N35 million per space, to the chagrin of most stakeholders, who are not comfortable with the level of land grabbing going on at the complex, sale of the green areas without proper environmental impact assessment, (EIA) and random erection of edifice that appears out of the sketch in the original master plan.
Worried stakeholders, also expressed concerns as to the fate of unwary buyers, who they fear may not be aware that the lease hold given to the markets trading at the complex will soon expire.
Text messages sent to the EFCC Public Relations Officers, Mr. Wilson Uwajare in Abuja and Mr. Wole Ayo at the Lagos State office, was not responded to as the time of going to press.
-News Planet International
