Succour is nowhere in sight for dozens of traders whose shops, previously located at Owonifaari market in the Oshodi area of Lagos, were demolished last week on the orders of the Lagos State Government.
Life seems to have come to a halt for the traders, following the loss of their means of livelihood. While some of them have resorted to hunting for customers by the roadside, others are squatting with other shop owners in some neighbouring markets.
With both arms folded tightly across their chests, a small group of men stood on a raised platform overlooking the ruins of the market when our correspondent visited there on Monday. Two tractors were seen rummaging through the rubble at the site of the demolition, while two young men picked up scraps of iron from the spot before depositing them in a heap at a distance.
The Chairman, Owonifaari Market, Mr. Samuel Ayanda, said despair and lamentation had been the order of the day since the market was demolished. According to Ayanda, the joy of the Isopakodowo alternative provided by the state government has been dampened by the introduction of N6,000 service charge, which is prohibitive to the traders.
He said, “Government has tried its best, but the traders are complaining. The new shops are being given out at the cost of N5,000 per month, while the service charge is also N6,000 per month. What that means is that each trader will pay N11,000 for a shop every month. Although government could have given out the shops at N20,000 per month, many of the traders have said the rent is unreasonable.
“Even with N2,000 per month for a shop, people are complaining. We have traders who do not even have N3,000 in their accounts as we speak. Many of the traders were landlords within the demolished markets and were paying N3,600 and N6,000 annually to the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Council before the demolition exercise.
“We used to have 400 standard shops and about 1,000 Kee Clamps (makeshift shops) at the demolished market. Some of the traders have complained to me that their children cannot go back to school because they don’t have money to pay school fees,” he said.
Although some of the traders admitted that they were served eviction notices by the state government, they insisted that no bunker was found at the site. Also, they claimed that goods worth several millions of naira were destroyed alongside the shops.
The state government had claimed that the market was demolished for security reasons. In a media chat held last Thursday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, had said that a cache of arms and a concrete bunker were discovered during the demolition.
Ayorinde also noted that the traders were appropriately notified before the exercise commenced. But the traders refuted the commissioner’s claims, saying that nothing suspicious was found at the site
One of the traders, Mr. Ifeanyi Okorie, urged the government to reduce the service charge imposed on the shops and to compensate those who lost their goods during the demolition.
He said, “This is not a good way to start the New Year. Many people who travelled to the eastern part of the country lost their goods. It is true that we were notified. But the threat of demolition was not news to us. Five years ago, we were informed that the market would be demolished. So, we did not take the eviction notice, which was sent to us last December, seriously. Before we knew it, the demolition had started and nobody could go into the market to salvage anything for fear of being accused of theft.
“At this stage, the Lagos State Government should give us a cheaper alternative. I have been here for more than seven years and we used to pay N6,000 maintenance fees to the local government annually. The truth is that we cannot afford the rent at the alternative market. How much profit do we make?” he asked.
Asked whether goods were demolished with the market, Ayanda answered in the affirmative.“I learnt that some traders, who were not around at the time of the demolition, lost some goods. But another issue at hand now is that the alternative market is a two-storey building and it cannot accommodate all of us. I am also not aware that the demolished market was being used for criminal purposes. We are law-abiding traders,” he said.
Another trader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed that the demolition had destabilised him and other traders. He pleaded with the state government to remove the service charge to enable the traders to resume business at the new site.
“This is now a case of things falling apart. Look at us. Everybody is running helter skelter. I kept my goods in two places. I have some of my wares at home and others in that plaza. I can also tell you that many people lost their goods. Some of those affected are back now. What we heard was that the state government wants to use the place as a Bus Rapid Transit park. But we do not care about that. How can we afford N11,000 per month? We are struggling people,” he said.
However, Ayorinde has said that the service charge is negotiable. Speaking with our correspondent in a telephone interview on Monday, the commissioner noted that the service charge covered facilities such as a water treatment plant, 24 -hour generator service as well as cleaning service, among others.
“There is a service charge which was collectively agreed upon with the leadership of the market. However, the service charge is negotiable. If the governor could reduce the rent from N25,000 to N5,000, then they should know that he has good intentions. There is a facility manager at the new market and the service covers a water treatment facility, cleaning service and others,” he said.
About The Nigerian Blogger
0 comments :
Post a Comment