Kunle Adelabu
Traders at the Ayangbure modern market, popularly known and called Sabo market, have continued to defy the directive of both the Lagos State Government and Ikorodu Local Government against illegal trading.
On daily basis, hundreds of traders display their wares and goods in the middle of the road in the market preventing human and vehicular movements.
Many of the traders display their goods and wares right from the main entrance of the market and spread across all the roads within the market. They operate on the road unhindered, thereby bringing great discomfort to those coming in and out the market.
The situation outside the market is even more alarming as the long stretch of road from Shams-el-Deen junction to Sabo junction which is a very busy road that links the Ikorodu garage roundabout, Ikorodu – Sagamu and Ikorodu – Itoikin road, is being turned into Sabo market extension on daily basis with traders unlawfully allocating almost half of the road to themselves for their trading activities, a situation which further worsen the traffic challenges in the axis.
To address this challenges, the administration of Hon. Wasiu Adesina, Chairman of the Ikorodu Local Government, in 2019 set up a Special Taskforce Committee headed by the Majority Leader of the Council’s Legislative Arm, Hon. Omotayo Awolesi.
The taskforce, which brought sanity to the market within a month of its existence, has since stopped operation, thereby given the traders freedom to operate against every known Environmental and Market Laws in the Council and State in general.
Many residents that go to the market for shopping and officials of the state and local governments working within the market usually find it difficult to bring their vehicles in and out of the market because of the challenges posed by the traders engaging in indiscriminate display of their wares on the road.
The traders are also not left out of the challenges as they too usually park their vehicles miles away from the market to avoid the manace of struggling to bring in and out their vehicles amidst the daily traffic challenges in and around the market environment.
A shopper, Iyabo, who spoke with our reporter, appealed to the council and other authorities to ensure that sanity is restored in the market to enable both people and vehicles move in and out with ease.
“The situation in this market is always terrible. We cannot bring our cars into the market, make purchase and drive out easily because to do that is to wait till evening when the market will be over before you can be able to drive out.
“We need government to see to this and ensure that residents can come in and leave after shopping with ease without any difficulty”, she pleaded.
Another shopper also lamented the situation and attributed it to lack of management.
“This is what we have been facing whenever we come here to buy things. You cannot imagine where I parked my car and l will have to pay ‘Abokis’ (Hausa men pulling wheelbarrow) to get what l bought to where I parked my car.
“I doubt if they will ever find solutions to these problems because those managing every aspect of the market are only interested in making money. That’s why they allowed traders to sell in the middle of the roads which is against the government’s regulations”, she added.
The perpetual street trading in the market is not only being condemned by the shoppers but also the traders many of whom are also unhappy with the challenges posed by the unlawful act.
Some of them that spoke with THE IMPACT complained about the impacts of the illegal trading in and around the market on them.
They complained that the government is not protecting their interest against the illegal trading in the market despite the huge sum of money they paid to get stalls as well as the daily dues the government collects from them.
Also, many of the shop and stall owners, while lamenting over low patronage, complained that traders who display their wares at the main entrance of the market and along the road within the market premises and also sell the same things as them enjoy more patronages than them as people prefer to buy from them due to their easy accessibility than to walk down to the shops and stalls.
Investigation by THE IMPACT has, however, revealed that many of the shop/stall owners within the market have also devised means to redress the anomaly by also engaging in illegal trading act while still maintaining their shops and stalls.
It was gathered that while the shop/stall owners remain in their shops to sell, they deploy their stewards and sales girls/boys to also join those operating on the road.
A source within the office of the Iyaloja-General of Ikorodu, alleged the council officials issuing tickets to traders engaging in illegal trading as those encouraging the act.
He stated that instead of dislodging the traders engaging in the unlawful trading activities, the council officials issue tickets to them on daily basis, thereby, condoning their unlawful acts.
The representative of the Local Government at the market (the market master), was not available when our reporter visited his office but two of his assistants that spoke with THE IMPACT laid the blame on the contractor employed by the council to redevelop the market.
According to them, the contractor issues tickets to vehicles, especially trucks that bring goods to the market, without directing them to the allotted space for parking and a result, most of the trucks, at times, parked in the middle of the road for days, thereby, causing untoward hindrance to both human and vehicular traffic within and outside the market.
“Well, we have been doing our bits and discharging our responsibilities as council officials and based on the mandate given to us by the council but the problem is with the leadership of the market and contractor”, one of the assistants alleged.
“We expect them to cooperate with us in ensuring that government ‘s directives are carried out in the market, especially in order to bring sanity into the market. They should not just be interested in issuing tickets alone without ensuring that vehicles are properly parked and traders are well coordinated”, she added.
The assistants also said that they are equally affected by the chaotic condition of the market as they too are on daily basis forced to park their vehicles miles away and trek down to the market.
While stating that they occasionally go out to enforce government’s directive on illegal trading and seize the wares of the offenders, they said that they are always careful not to be harmed.
THE IMPACT also visited the office of the contractor, Bismak Investments, at Sabo, where Mr Demola Ogundipe, the company’s manager, explained to our reporters measures being taking to sanitise the market and regulate the activities of the traders.
He clarified that the contractor is not the one collecting tolls from trailers and other heavy duty trucks bringing goods into the market and said it’s another body that is independent of them.
“We actually started working in June 2019, and we are operating based on what we met on ground. We are doing everything on our part to santise the market, especially vehicular operations,” he stated.
“We are working towards demarcation of the roads within the Sabo market with drums. This has been approved by our own management. The lining with paint started last Friday (January 3, 2020)”, he revealed to our reporter.
Mr Demola denied the allegation that they are the encouraging illegal trading due to the tickets they issue to traders displaying their wares and goods in the middle of roads in the market without minding where they are selling.
He alleged that traders, particularly shop/stall owners who do not want to be restricted to their shops and stalls, are allocated spaces by the Iyaloja whose office, located within the market, is where the tickets are being issued for the spaces.
“We are not the one collecting tolls from those traders. It’s the Iyaloja that allocated them spaces and not the contractor”, he stated.
Attempt to reach the Chairman of the Taskforce committee to get his next line of action proved abortive as at the time of going to the press.
