By Agency Reports
Residents and shop owners at the Oja Retail Market in Oke-Afa, Jakande Estate, Isolo, Lagos, have protested against the planned demolition of the market by the Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mr. Taoreed Taiwo.
The protesters appealed to the council chairman, councillors, and other local government officials to halt the planned exercise, which they said would destroy their only means of livelihood.
One of the traders, Mrs. Temitope Olufowokan, urged the LCDA chairman to suspend the demolition, especially as the festive season approaches. She said the traders expected to enjoy the benefits of democracy, not the hardship of losing their shops, and called for transparency in any redevelopment plan.
The Chairman of the Estate Youth Parliament, Mr. Adeyemi Yusuf, also cautioned the council to focus on developmental projects that would not inflict hardship on residents. He said plans to sell rebuilt shops for ₦5 million would make them unaffordable for many traders.
> “We have told him what the community needs. If he doesn’t want to attend to those issues, he should not force what we didn’t ask for,” Yusuf said.
Reacting, the LCDA Chairman, Mr. Taiwo, explained that the plan to rebuild the market was part of his administration’s campaign promises and aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He noted that the market structures, built during the administration of the late Governor Lateef Jakande, were over 40 years old and too weak for renovation.
Taiwo said several meetings had been held with market leaders and other stakeholders before the decision was made, adding that the redevelopment was part of wider infrastructure renewal efforts in the LCDA, covering roads, schools, and health centres.
He assured traders that original shop owners would be given priority when the new modern market is completed.