Rotimi Agboluaje, Ibadan
Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has warned traders who were allocated neighborhood market stall freely to move into them or forfeit their rights.
The governor handed down the warning while restating the government’s decision against street trading during an unscheduled visit to the neighborhood market at the Scout Camp, Molete, Ibadan, on Thursday.
The market, which was built and opened in 2013 by the Ajimobi-led administration, with over 3000 spaces and lock-up shops allocated to traders free of charge are still largely empty as many of the traders still prefer to trade on the street.
Ajimobi who said that the initiative was meant to create a safety net for traders who could not afford to rent a shop and also end street trading lamented the loss of lives and property attributed to street trading in parts of the state in the past.
Ajimobi said, “I’m appealing to you to hold on to the spaces allocated to you in this market. Those who were allocated spaces here, but decided to trade by the road will soon lose their allocation. We have preached and sensitized our people enough. We say no more to street trading.
“It’s unimaginable that some traders that were allocated spaces in this market free of charge along with you have decided to abandon them and move to the roadsides. In fact, we shall revoke their allocation. We shall start to enforce the law against street trading.
“There is nowhere in the whole of this country where government constructed this kind of modern market without collecting money from those allocated spaces. Henceforth, you should find a way of levying yourselves so as to have the financial strength to do things like cleaning of the environment and maintenance of security.”
In his response, the Babaloja of the market, Mr. Kehinde Tewogbade, lauded the initiative of the administration on the construction the market, which, he said, was completed within the promised six months.
He said, “Ajimobi has always supported us. He promised to construct and complete the market within six months and that came to pass. We will not forget the N20million revolving loan he approved and gave us in 2013. All these are attributes of a good leader that cares for the downtrodden.
“I can say it openly that the leadership of this market is in agreement with the decision of the governor to enforce the law against those that have continued to trade by the roadside; they deserve it.”
