It should not happen to anyone. Nobody should have to wake up in the morning to see their property worth billions of naira being demolished; or worse, completely demolished. And as a consequence, to find that the future of a business the property houses, a labour of love and sweat of several years, has suddenly become seriously endangered. That was what was said to have happened to Ndibe Obi, Peter Obi?s younger brother.

According to the account which went viral, the premises of Next Foods Limited which Ndibe has allegedly owned for over ten years, was being demolished over a weekend, by yet to be ascertained ?Government Agents?. Worse, nobody was allegedly allowed to enter the premises, let alone salvage anything of worth. That alone to me, was insensitive and cruel. But then, the whole thing if true, can be adjudged insensitive and cruel. This suddenness, this seeming arbitrariness, shouldn?t have to happen to anyone, not even a common Citizen Joe or Jane.

Not in any country that professes the rule of law; or any form of civility in fact. But that it happened to the brother of a high profile personality like Peter Obi speaks volume about the state of the nation and its abuse of law and due process. Peter Obi is a media influencer who has scores of powerful media influencers ready to amplify his voice. He is also the leader of the ?Obidient Movement? which has a large sectional followership. All these should have made the Judge who issued the said judgement, and the Agents who carried it out, to be more circumspect in order not to inflame unnecessary tribal and political passions.

I don?t know if the demolition has a tribal or political intonation as insinuated by some people including Peter Obi ? many people have acquired the flair for playing the victim and reading tribal meanings into every unsavory development. Hopefully, the ongoing investigation should unearth some things. But if this kind of demolition had to happen, I am glad that it has happened to someone of the caliber of Peter Obi who has a voice he is not afraid to use and a capacity beyond the average to fight back because too many land grabbers are using the instruments of law and law enforcement Agents to dispossess the voiceless and the poor of inherited and acquired properties.

Long possession is an important part of property ownership, so the trick to show that a piece of land is either unoccupied, or it is housing shanties, is not new and should not catch any competent Judge off guard. Property acquisition is almost a prerequisite to business because any enterprise needs to have an address, the more permanent the address is, the better. Any government therefore, which wants to encourage business, and the ease of setting up one, should tackle the impunity surrounding property acquisition in its domain. It is unfortunate that there is so much impunity surrounding land usage in Lagos State especially.

From ?Omo Onile?, to State Officials, to Estate Agents, to the Police, to the Judiciary, everybody is in on the act. These things happen because Lagos State still believes in the low-hanging fruit of a rent seeking economy despite many opportunities and resources that can transform the State. It is not unusual to find buildings that have been in existence for 30, 40 years being marked for building documents by State Officials ? the same State which one should normally go to for verification has shifted the onus. It is a common sight along the Lekki Axis to see red markings on high rise buildings both new and not so new.

While not discounting the antics of estate developers, it is almost impossible for buildings to reach any height in Lagos without at least a visit ? and an inspection ? by State Officials. So, it is either the earlier officials were negligent or the latter ones are overzealous ? whatever the case, no building should ever be completed if the paper work is not complete because innocent buyers and businesses are caught in the loop when buildings are shut down and access restricted. Inner roads are also important to the survival of businesses. Yet, most inner roads are in a bad state. And it is disheartening when businesses that want to fix their access roads on their own, are discouraged from doing so by the Local Government or State Government. It becomes the sad case of government not doing something, yet using bureaucracy to prevent willing individuals from taking over.

Much has been written about government officials who place several hurdles before new businesses. Much has been written about different levies on existing businesses that border on extortion. Much has been written about our epileptic power supply. Much has been written about the high cost of funds. None of these is an incentive to business. None of these supports the often touted ease of doing business. But about the greatest disincentive to business after government attitude is labor. It is an unfortunate development because we used to pride ourselves on a cheap and conscientious labor force in Nigeria.

All of that has ended. Our youths now have an attitude towards education and training ? the notion that education is a scam is gaining traction. They now have a negative disposition towards nurturing a company and growing with it. It is now about money and more money. It is about quick fixes. It is often about cutting corners which is often about impunity. Impunity and illegality are twin brothers. It is what has straddled every stratum of the society from private sector to public sector; from the judiciary, to the legislature, to the Executive. When due process is thrown out of the window and impunity reigns alongside illegality, what we get is an overnight destruction of properties using phantom judgements. As it is, nobody buys a property and goes to sleep with two eyes closed anymore believing that the right things will always be done by designated officials. This is going to hurt investments, especially diaspora investments. It is going to hurt business.

Governments, Local, State and Federal, should address impunity in low and high places. That demolition, to which there has not been any public closure as at the time of writing this article, is just a symptom; an ugly manifestation of the many things beleaguering investments and the ease of doing business in this country.

? Adetiba is a veteran journalist and public affairs commentator

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