Olaleye Aluko
No fewer than 235 shops and 125 containers built under power cables have been demolished by the Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, in Igbara Market, Jakande, along the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
The task force Chairman, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, on Friday said the market leaders must always advise the traders to avoid selling under high-tension cables.
He said, “The demolition should not be seen as punitive. It should be seen as the governor’s efforts towards saving lives and property of members of the public.
“Market leaders in all local government areas and local council development areas must support the government to educate the traders on the imminent dangers of trading under high-tension cables.”
Egbeyemi added that a seven-day notice to quit was served on shop owners and all traders before the demolition exercise, saying a responsible government would not tolerate trading activities under such a dangerous condition.
The head of auto spare parts sellers in the market, Ugo Onuha, said they had been operating in the market for about 20 years, adding that there was no alternative for the affected traders.
“Every trader pays N5,000 monthly for a container, and N20,000 for a shop in the market. We told the state government to construct low-medium shops for traders because the ones constructed by private developers are beyond our financial capacity; but nobody listened to us,” he added.