Kunle Adelabu
Mrs Saidat, Iya-Oloja General, Imota Local Council Development Area (LCDA), who led a team of market leaders in Ikorodu division to monitor the compliance level in all markets across the division to the State government’s directives concerning the containment of the Coronavirus, has asked the state and local governments to provide marketers and residents generally with social aid if the enforcement of its directives is to have desired effect.
The market leader, who spoke with THE IMPACT on behalf of other members of the monitoring team delegated by the Iya-Oloja General of Ikorodu Division, Alhaja Taofikat Allison, also stated that leadership of various markets in the division have been enforcing the directives of the government by ensuring that only those selling food, drink and medical items are allowed to open shops.
She, however, stated that people have been asking and challenging them on the possibility of government giving them money or providing social aid to cushion the effects of its directives on them.
“We have been going round markets in the division to ensure that our people are not selling any other things except food and medical items as directed by the state government towards tackling the coronavirus epidemic”, Mrs Saidat stated.
“Government should also assist our people with monetary and food aid. They are finding it difficult to close their shops because that is what they live on and also use in taking care of their families.
“They have been asking us to give them money since we have been telling them not to open their shops in compliance with the government’s directives”, she stated.
“We are begging the government to give us money because elsewhere, citizens are being taken care of”.
Speaking on the efforts of the market leaders in ensuring that markets in Ikorodu division comply with the state government’s directives towards containing the spread of the Coronavirus, she stated that:
“We are also ensuring that all the markets are clean and are also complying with government’s directives. We have been locking the shops of those that sell other things except those stipulated items.
“We have operated in Imota today (Saturday) and those that did not comply were arrested with police. That is how we have been operating everywhere. We started the patrol and enforcement at Sabo market in Ikorodu and we have also visited markets in Ikorodu West LCDA, Ikorodu North and Ibeshe in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA. Today, we are here in Gberigbe to do same”.
She commended the Ikorodu Local government for embarking on the fumigation of markets in the council.
“We thank the Ikorodu Local Government for the carrying out fumigation exercise in the markets across the council. May God continue to assist them.
“We have been talking to our people to stay at home for some days and allow government to fumigate our markets. Any market fumigated today (Saturday) would not open until Monday, March 30, 2020.
“We are ensuring that our markets across the division comply with the government directives and that they are clean always”, she added.
