…says they’re hideout for hoodlums that attack motorists, commuters
Traders, artisans and shops owners along Orile – Badagry and Oshodi – Abule Egba corridors lament demolition of market stalls, shanties and parks across Lagos, accuse the State Government led by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of insensitive to the plights of the masses. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA reports
“Ewo oo, I borrowed money to build this kiosk; how do I pay back?” was the first reaction of Mrs. Bukola Olaiya, who had her two hands on her head when she rushed to the scene of demolition with her seven month-old-baby on her back and found her kiosk smashed by government’s bulldozer. Bukola had borrowed N31, 000 earlier from a money lender to build the smashed kiosk with the hope to pay back from the business’ proceeds as it begins to flourish. Little did she know that misfortune was lurking. Though she cried but that didn’t change anything as the deed had been done; she was left with the option of gathering the remnants of the wreckage.
“I’m supposed to pay back the money by August ending. I’m dead, I’m finished, who will hear my voice ooo,” she continued wailing at the First Gate where she sells fruits. Nobody attended to her as everyone was running helter skelter from the full government’s arsenal deployed for the operation and struggled to save their usable rubble from scavengers who were feasting on the site. Bukola, a mother of three, who was backing her third child (Girl), when she got to the scene, is married to her bricklayer husband who didn’t have much to support her after he had given all he had.’
Unfortunately, her cries didn’t attract any sympathizers except for a woman who helped her to carry her baby while she was crying and lanmenting her continuous suffering in the hands of the council and the state government. For David Ibe, a trader at Alafia, along the Orile -Badagry Expressway, the Lagos State government should think of ways to cushion the effects of bad policies in the country targeted at further impoverishing the masses and making them face the worse state of suffering amids economic bastardisation of Nigeria.
David, other traders and artisans who ply their businesses along Orile – Badagry Expressway and Oshodi Abule Egba Road, whose businesses and stalls are currently facing heavy demolition exercise by the Lagos State Government led by Mr. Babajide Sanwo–Olu said the government’s action is insensitive of the people’s plight in the state. He said instead of the government taking actions that would calm down the heavy blow the masses get from the hostile policies and activities of the government at the centre which have been killing and suffocating the masses and killing the economy, the new government decided to aggravate their sufferings and agony. “How would the first government action in power be anti masses? How would these actions affect or improve the lives of the people? Do stores and buildings along these areas disturb Sanwolu’s administration?” he queried. He continued: “I do not know why the state government always treated the people with an act of cruelty, especially attacking the masses source of livelyhood. “Do these people want us to starve to death? The other time, it was Fashola and Yaba traders. After that, it was Ambode who collapsed Oshodi electronic market while their goods were in side.
“Lagos State is very insensitive to the plight of the people. In all these things, they do not touch the rich man’s property. It’s only the poor masses that face the cruelty of those in government. Badagry Road that has been killing people is where a government tries to frustrate the masses the more.” David doesn’t consider it sensible for a government to start off a new administration with cruelty targeted at the poor people, saying that every sensible government would look for ways to address the suffering of its subjects and making policies that will make it buy masses’ hearts.
“As long as I am concerned, this action is needless and does not add any credit to Sanwo–Olu’s administration. It’s baseless and unwarranted.” he added. Thus, traders and residents along Orile – Badagry Expressway and Oshodi Abule Egba Road, are currently groaning under what they described as the insensitivity of Sanwo-Olu’s administration by demolishing market stalls, shanties and all attachments to main buildings along the axis.
They lamented that in the midst of Muslim celebration, Lagos State government sent its squad to spoil their joy by embacking on the operation demolish shanties and stalls on these main corridors as pilot operation which will spread across the state afterwards. During Sunday Telegraph’s visits to the scene, directly affected traders were seen running helter skelter to salvage their wares and preserve the materials which they used in building their shops and stalls in the market while the property owners were also panicking on what to do.
Scavengers were seen feasting on the rubbles and other materials such as corrugated iron ore (zink), woods of different kind, iron rods trampled under by the bulldoser’s chain wheels as well as boards among others. Some were seen buying polines and used plywoods. During the demolition exercise, which was witnessed by Sunday Telegraph, the demolition tasksforce came in their full strength and arsenal including the police, Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Soldiers, Lagos State Vigilante, the Neighborhood Watch Safety Corps, Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and some staff of Lagos State Ministry of Works among others.
Recall that Governor Sanwo–Olu had on assumption of office, May 29, 2019, declared zero tolerance on all traffic impediments, road pot-holes, and environmental degradation, such as indiscriminate refuse disposal when he signed three Executive Orders, aimed at enhancing the free flow of traffic, environment across the state.
Also, recall that he had earlier in June, during an inspection of the dilapidated state of the road on the axis, directed relevant agencies to ensure removal of all illegal shanties, shops and other illegal structures impeding movement of traffic, constituting security threat as soon as possible to allow for smooth operation of the ongoing road rehabilitation project.
Sequel to this, the state government issued a seven-day ultimatum to owners of illegal trading kiosks and shanties along Lagos- Badagry and Oshodi-Abule Egba corridors to vacate the routes for a clean-up exercise aimed at reclaiming rights of way for free passage of vehicles and salvaging the aesthetics of the environment.
After the elapse of the seven-day notice, on Tuesday last week, the demolition started on the two major routes, affecting linear settlements obstructing free flow of traffic along the corridors.
According to Lagos State, the clean-up intervention is part of implementation of the Executive Order declaring zero tolerance for traffic management, public works and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, which was signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on May 30, 2019. Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Taiwo Salaami and Chairman of the state Task Force, Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Olayinka Egbeyemi, led the enforcement team which commenced exercise from Eric-Moore Orile-Iganmu, area of Apapa. Salaami, who addressed the media, explained that the state government had earlier issued a notice of ‘Removal Order’ to all owners of illegal structures which include; shanties, Kiosks and makeshift shops along Okokomaiko to Badagry and Iba-LASU road on the need to immediately relocate as taskforce had been mobilized to embark on demolition exercise of such structures.
On notice of ‘Removal Order,’ he said; “The Governor was touched by the discomfort being experienced on a daily basis along the axis as a result of these bad roads and vowed to ameliorate the sufferings of residents, commuters plying the Okokomaiko to Badagry Express-way by rehabilitating the road. “Therefore, we have to embark on general demolition exercise of all the shanties, kiosks and makeshift shops within these areas starting from today, Tuesday.” Egbeyemi stated that criminals seized the opportunity to hide in some of the kiosks and shanties to carry out their nefarious acts, especially at night, hence, the need to clear the structures with immediate effect.
“There were several complaints and reports of armed banditry along the axis where motorists and commuters were being attacked and dispossessed of their valuables, as well as maimed in the process,” he added. Salaami who frowned at the indiscipline attitude of converting walkways and setbacks into shops and abodes, noted that the act undermines Government’s huge investment in social infrastructure. According to Salaami, the cleaning exercise has no time frame for operation, saying it would be a continuous exercise until the area has been cleared of all illegal structures.
However, the traders, artisans and property owners feel that the exercise is uncalled for, given the suffering in the land, which according to them, orchestrated by the All Progressives Congress’ next level agender. They said with the situation of the economy of Nigeria, the masses will be expecting strategies to cushion its effects on the people and not bringing in policies that will further impoverish the masses which add no value to the country. “What will this project government is heeping too much money on do for the country which will be abandoned midway anyway. This is a misplacement of priorities. I stand to be corrected that nothing will come out of this shadow chasing. “We have obeyed the initial other from state government but we are going to resist this.
We are collecting names of the owners whose property fall within the area they want to de molish, which have Certificate Of Occupancy to find a lasting solution to this,” said one of the Orile landlords, Mr. Babatunde Faseke.
He noted that Fashola had taken a reasonable portion of their lands and such will not be allowed again. At Agboju Market Festac, which was recovering from the previous demolition barely a month ago, the buldozer’s blade didn’t spare it as it fell under the blade of the state government’s bulldozer. Not even the newly rebuilt foundation at the market was spared at some metres off the Expressway.
Though their products and wares were not destroyed this time around but the traders lament that their machines with which they saw their woods are now left in the sun and rain as the roof upon them have been removed. Sunday Telegraph observed that the mainly affected area of Agboju Market were those areas where furniture, plywoods, polines and zink are milled and sold. In fact, where building materials are sold at Agboju market. According to Joseph Obong, they were asked to remove all zink on the roads as the government does not want to see zink on the road while traveling on the Express except umbrellas.
Wondering the basis for that and why umbrellas were preferred, he said every government has its policy, whether good or bad, it will be implemented with use of force and the poor man is always targeted. He said: “What does the government want to achieve with this exercise even when the road construction has been in a mess.
Anyway, this is the APC next level of suffering. Fashola did is own but with some respect to certain metres away from the road but in this one, we don’t even know their measurements. “We tried to remove our structures, push our stalls inward but when they came, they further pushed us inward. Every structure they met on their way were removed and destroyed. “They do the same all over Lagos. A month ago, they gave us seven days notice for us to move. My brother at Ajah told me that they did the same at Ajah but that of Aja started after the end of the seven days notice.
“On this axis, they started scattering things all the way from Orile and today is our turn. They will continue in this manner until they get to Badagry and turn to the other side of the road and start coming back to Orile again. “All those buildings under the high tension will go down.
That is where they have more work.” Recall that Fashola had approved the demolition of some buildings on this road when the road construction started. Some of the buildings which partly fall within the demolition plan were destroyed while some buildings were chopped off by the bulldozer. Other buildings which suffered such partial collapse were yet to recover from it before this exercise came up again.
Some transport companies and some hotels where partly chopped off and were reconstructed. Also, Alaja Aisha Sadiq, one of the traders said she parked her plywoods in the bush, praying that rain doesn’t fall and destroy them as at Friday afternoon when Sunday Telegraph visited Kpako area to determine what extent the demolition has gone. Mrs Faith Ugwu, who had buyers for plywood said she can’t bring in more goods until the team finished its work. “With this thing happening, I won’t be able to bring in more goods.
I want to first of all finish the 4mm plywood that I have here before going to get 6mm for you,” she hesitated. However, the Managing Director, Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Ola Oresanya, described the cleanup exercise as ‘obligatory’ for government, stressing that the two routes had been ‘heavily commercialised.’
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