Lagos Assembly urges Sanwo-Olu to seal Yard 158 Events Centre over non-compliance

By Ebunoluwa Sessou

The Lagos State House of Assembly has called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, to seal off Yard 158 Events Centre, located in Oregun, Lagos, over the management’s persistent refusal to honour official invites in respect of a pending petition.

This followed a personal explanation raised on the Floor of the House by the Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Abiodun Tobun. He informed the House that the Committee was considering a petition submitted by Mrs. Nurat Alaba against the management of Yard 158 Events Centre, which has been stalled due to the continued non-appearance of the company despite several invitations from the House and LASCOPA.

According to Tobun, Mrs. Alaba paid the sum of ₦3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) on January 30, 2025 to secure the venue for an event scheduled for December 21, 2025. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, she contacted the company the following day, January 30, 2025, to request a change of date to December 20, 2025. She was informed that the company would revert to her.

He further explained that after several follow-up calls over the ensuing weeks, Mrs. Alaba was eventually informed that a 33 per cent cancellation charge would apply. She agreed to the deduction and requested a refund of the balance.

However, she received no further communication until October 2025, when she visited the company’s premises in person. She was then informed that the 33 per cent cancellation charge would be calculated not from her ₦3 million deposit, but from the full event fee of ₦6.5 million, which she had not paid. This development prompted her to file a petition with the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Tobun expressed concern that despite multiple invitations, neither the owner nor any representative of Yard 158 Events Centre has appeared before the Committee. He added that LASCOPA also wrote several letters to the company, all of which were ignored.

He stated, “This level of disregard will not be accepted or tolerated in Lagos State. As a Committee, we have resolved to bring this matter before the entire House for appropriate action.”

Consequently, Tobun urged the Speaker of the House, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, to compel the appearance of the owner of Yard 158 Events Centre before the House to enable the investigation to be concluded and a report submitted.

Supporting the motion, Nureni Akinsanya emphasised the need to uphold the authority of the House, warning that failure to act decisively could set a dangerous precedent that may embolden other businesses to disregard legislative directives.

Also lending his voice, Kehinde Joseph noted that the House conducts petition hearings to restore peace and order in the State, stressing that such acts of defiance undermine this responsibility.

In his contribution, Bonu Solomon called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the management’s decision to disregard the authority of the State Legislature.

The Speaker thereafter directed the Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, to forward a clean copy of the House resolution to the appropriate quarters.

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