By Monsuru Olowoopejo

LAGOS—Activities at the office of the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, were yesterday, halted for several minutes by hundreds of traders of Alade Market, Ikeja, protesting the planned demolition of the market by Ikeja Local Government.

The protesters, who stormed the office of the governor at about 11:00 a.m, lamented that the planned demolition of the over 30-year-old market would displace 1,000 traders who depend on it for their livelihood.

The protesters who defied the scorching sun besieged the governor’s office, armed with placards with different inscriptions, some of which read: ‘No to demolition of Alade market,’ ‘we are the original owners of the shops,’ ‘Fashola please save us from demolition of Alade Market;’ ‘Don’t displace us and ‘Enough of demolition of markets in Lagos.’

Vanguard gathered that the local council had concluded plans to relocate the traders to a site close to the Allen Avenue canal where 120 shops (a figure that represents 10 percent of the traders) was constructed for them.

The protesters accused the Iyaloja of the market, Mrs. Elizabeth Adenuga, of conniving with officials of the council led by Mr. Wole Ogunlolu, The Executive Secretary over the planned demolition without carrying them along, saying: “We got wind of the planned demolition on May 18, through a letter from the council demanding N150, 000 from each trader as relocation fee.”

President of the Concerned Traders, Mrs Sulola Odunsi-Dania, said the council initially made the move to demolish the market in 2003 but the state government denied any knowledge of the planned demolition.

Her words: “We told them that they can’t  dislodge the 1,000 traders. There are about 120 shops at the new place they want to move us to. How do we share 120 shops among 1,000 traders? What will be the fate of others? The place is not even environmentally friendly. It is right inside the canal.”

Another trader, Mrs. Olukeku Kupoluyi, lamented: “It is not habitable, it is a slum. The shops there are not even up to 1,000. There are just 400, and there are no access roads. It is not going to be okay for all of us. It is not manageable, it will not go round, there is no provision for security and it is even flooded.”

Meanwhile, all efforts to reach the Executive Secretary of the council, proved abortive, but in a notice titled: “Final Notice of Relocation and Payment of N150,000 Relocation fee” with reference No. IKJ.GEN. 1213. Vol. 12/129, signed by the Executive Secretary of Ikeja Local Government and sent to the shop owners, the council urged the traders to pay the money between May 19 and June 1, 2015.