The Iyaoloja General, Akpongbon/Ebute-Ero Marketers’ Association, Rukayat Olusola Balogun,has pleaded with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu not to displace the traders in the market.
She made the plea on Monday when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu assessed the burnt Apongbon bridge and the market .
The traders,she said, have occupied the place for 50 years, adding that displacing them from the market means robbing them of their only means of livelihood.
Some of the embattled traders displayed placards with inscriptions such as: “We are not criminals, please help us,” “Don’t displace us, we are traders, “We add value to Nigerian economy,’ among others, the traders said: “This is an ECOWAS market where traders from other African countries buy and sell. “We are begging the Federal, Lagos State and the local governments to pity our condition and allow us to do our legitimate business here.
“There are about five markets operating from here.I don’t think there is anywhere in Lagos State that can accommodate all of us.”
Earlier in his remarks,Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu lamented that the traders have refused to take responsibility for public assets.
He added:“All the things that were happening on that bridge are totally unacceptable.Between the last two years and now, we’ve had eight fire incidents on our various bridges; the one approaching the International Airport, the one towards Mile 2 to the one going towards Apapa, we had an issue with one approaching from Alaka,” he added.
He warned the traders that the government cannot assure them of the safety of the bridge, their lives and property if they remain there.
“This is a clear testimony of how public assets should not be turned to. And so we’ve given seven days’ notice. And I want to reiterate, Wednesday is the deadline for everybody that has anything to have left there.
“We’re going to start excessive clearing of the place. It is after that, that we can even get all the structural engineers. This bridge was built by Julius Berger in 1974. So thankfully, they are still around us. So it’s only after then that they can even come and do the assessment.”
He assured that the state government will do its best to ensure that normalcy is restored as soon as possible.
