LAGOS—TRADERS at Ladega Market in Mosan-Okunola Local Government Area of Lagos State, have urged Governor Bola Tinubu to come to their rescue over moves by the council to demolish the market.
According to a petition sent to the governor, the traders under the umbrella of Ladega Market Landlord Association, signed by its chairman, Mr. Segun Solaja, accused the council of pursuing selfish interests above the interest of the masses they claim to protect.
However, it was gathered that the Chairman of the council, Chief Abel Olu-Badejo, had recently threatened to demolish the market without any notice to that effect in order to rebuild it into a modern market against the wishes of the people.
The group which staged a protest march to the governor’s office at Alausa, Ikeja has also threatened to go to court if the council is bent on demolishing the market.
According to the group in their petition: “the market was built by individual effort when our estate was built by Shagari government without anything like school or market and was built by an engineer appointed for us by the council, hence it was on good foundation.”
The traders are now apprehensive that should the council carry out its plans, their stalls may not be given back to them after completion.
Chairman of the association, Mr. Solaja, said all entreaties to make the council executives see reasons on why the market should not be demolished have failed.
When contacted, the chairman of the council, Chief Olu-Badejo who confirmed the demolition plans, however, assured the traders that they would get their shop(s) back, so far as they can produce necessary documents as to the ownership of the shop.
Chief Olu-Badejo stated that the move was in the overall interest of the residents in the area.
He identified the need to de-flood the area and also to build a modern market as the major reasons necessitating the plan as against allegation of wanting to extort money from the traders.
It was also gathered that several meetings between the representatives of the traders and the council have failed to yield any positive result as both parties stuck to their guns.
The council has however, vowed to go ahead with the demolition and re-construction of a new market.
