By Evelyn Usman, Ikenna Asomba, Esther Onyegbula & Monsuru Olowoopejo

After several years of contention over the impending demolition of the main section of Ladipo International Auto Parts Dealers market, in Mushin, the traders and authorities of the Mushin Local Government Area, may have brokered a truce, if the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both warring parties are anything to go by.

•Aerial view of Ladipo Market, Mushin

Vanguard gathered that the MoU gives the traders an additional one month to vacate the market premises for onward development by the Council developer. Since 2013, when about 70 shops were purportedly demolished by the Lagos State Government after shutting the market for contravening the state’s environmental laws, there has been a continued discrete face-off between the traders and government authorities.

Countdown to the April 11 governorship election in the state, aggrieved traders in the market were alleged to had bluntly told Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who was the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, that they would not support him, because of the alleged concurrent witch-hunt they suffered under the administration of his predecessor, former Governor Babatunde Fashola.

In what has been described in some quarters as a vindictive action, penultimate Monday, the traders were caught unawares as armed security men comprising policemen, Operation MESA (OP MESA) and operatives in plain clothes, reportedly stormed the market, ordering traders to vacate their shops. In the process, about 150 shops were said to have been demolished  with their roofing sheets pulled off, on the orders of officials of Mushin LGA, penultimate Tuesday. Although, Vanguard gathered that the market was reopened partially penultimate Wednesday.

We lost N300m  to demolition – Traders

When contacted,  Chairman, Ladipo Central Executive Auto Dealers Association, Mr  Kingsley Ogunor, who expressed shock over the demolition exercise, decried that traders lost over N300 million in terms of cash and property, because they were not duly informed to evacuate goods in their shops.

Ogunor who alleged that authorities of the Mushin LGA did not follow judicial process before carrying out the demolition exercise said: “There was no notice to traders before the demolition exercise. The shops were allocated to us by the same Mushin LGA and we have been consistent in paying our tenancy allowance. I see no reason why they decided to demolish  the shops and our goods.

“At least if a tenant is to be evicted from the house, due process will be followed.  The only thing I could remember was authorities of the Council called for a meeting, and when I could not make it to the meeting, the next thing we saw was a letter from the Council, disclosing its intention to come and shutdown the market.

“To our surprise, they commenced the demolition exercise on Monday. The Council authorities should not take laws into its hands, it shouldn’t exhibit executive lawlessness. If the Executive Secretary wants to dialogue with us, there should be due process. We lost over N300 million in terms of cash and property”.

However, when Vanguard visited the market, traders were sighted in different groups bemoaning their fates. A banner which hung on the gate beared an inscription which says: ‘Proposed Commercial Development of Mushin, Lagos.’ It stated that the Mushin Local Government in conjunction with a developer known as Total Value Integrated Services Limited were to commence the  building  of a modern plaza market there. The duration for completion is 18 months.

We never demolished  any part of Ladipo market – LASG

Dispelling insinuations that it demolished the Ladipo market out of vindictiveness and fallout of the last governorship elections, the Lagos State Government has denied demolishing parts of the market, adding that Governor Ambode has no plans to relocate the popular auto parts market. The Executive Secretary, Mushin LGA, Jide Bello, last Thursday, said the LGA developer had moved in “to take ownership” of the market, but “we have no plan to demolish the market.”

Bello said the council’s plan, as contained in an agreement earlier reached with the traders, was to redevelop the market in phases lasting three to five months of construction work. According to him, ‘’though bulldozer of the developer had moved in on Tuesday, but business activities had continued in the market unhindered and the traders are presently at their stalls going about their normal business activities.”

Bello explained that because of the eyesore which the unwholesome activities of some traders had caused, the Council decided to redevelop the market that has degraded and not fit into the mega city plans of the state.

He added that after several meetings with the leaders of the various associations in the market, the Council resolved to undertake the market development in phases. ‘’Because of this, we have not collected any form of rent from the traders in the market since the beginning of 2015,’’ he said.

Noting that there would be no going back on the council’s decision to redevelop the market to meet the megacity status of Lagos, the Council boss, however, assured all traders in the market that Mushin remains a home for all of them. ‘’Current owners will be given due attention in the re-allotment of the market once construction is completed, as long as they can provide valid ownership papers,’’ he assured.

MoU that stalled demolition

In related development, Ogunor said the traders and the Council authorities had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which gives the traders additional one month to vacate the market premises, thus stalling the demolition exercise which began penultimate Monday. The market leader, who made this disclosure to Vanguard, said the MoU was reached to stall the demolition exercise which could have increased the losses suffered by the traders had it continued.

Having spent over 25 years in the market, the market leader said the MoU would also allow traders move their goods to safer areas where it would not be damaged by rain. He added that what raised this concern was the failure of the State Government to compensate traders who had their shops demolished in 2013, for allegedly contravening the state’s environmental laws.