 |
| Sabo Ugu Market |
The market is boiling in another controversy over the demolition of a vital section of the market, dominated by lgbo vegetable traders, a move, which some Igbo market leaders interpret as a discriminatory and unjustified action.One fateful morning in February this year, vegetable and other allied produce sellers, came to their stalls in Sabo to find that huge heaps of granite and sand had blocked the two main entrances to their portion of the market located at the eastern side of the market.
Almost simultaneously, that market stalls, constricted as dwarf walls and a roof, half open for ventilation of perishable vegetables, had been pulled down to make way for the construction of a new structure that will be lock up stalls. The bewilder traders had no place to do their business as the local government blocked the first gate entrance to Itoikin road and started erecting temporary stalls for the displaced traders; thus, sealing off that motor road.
From the main gate along Salvation Army Primary School road into Sabo, emergency toll gates were mounted and every vehicle coming into the market was forced to pay N100 parking fee per day or N1000 for a year's sticker, something that was not the case before now.
The junction leading to the Southern entrance of the market and the orange market, had been blocked with granite and sand, making it impossible for any vehicle to bring goods to that open arena for fruit sellers.
Traders in that part of the market considered the new development a wicked new year gift, as the whole market had become like a torn coat. Controversy raged as the trader,murmured, grumbled; or cried out loud.
They alleged that they were not duly consulted or carried along by the local government and their perishable goods, which in decent societies ought to be displayed and marketed in green houses, special melt and semi house/open stalls,was not factored into the plans of the local government.
They alleged that they were not duly consulted or carried along by the local government and their perishable goods, which in decent societies ought to be displayed and marketed in green houses, special melt and semi house/open stalls,was not factored into the plans of the local government.
Just as abattoir are specially built, so also vegetable and fruit markets are specially designed, not in lock up shops or K-klamp apartments.
Fresh from the controversies of last year, when the Anipole's government was accused of indiscriminate erection of stalls, unplanned nature of the market, conversion of open spaces and parts into other uses, including a pure water factory recently created in what used to be a motor park, and general lack of modernization of the market, Ikorodu News decided to contact the council boss on the recent issues at stake and other previous ones. He adopted the same attitude of apathy keeping mum, negating the principle and benefits of the freedom of information law in the country.
On Friday March 7, 2014,following complaints by stakeholders in that market, a team of six reporters, camera men/women and editors, visited the market to see things for themselves.
The once free-flowing market had turned into a disorganized setting. The access roads had been blocked and toll collectors were busy collecting money from every vehicle that entered the market.
Mrs. Viola Egonu, a trader, told Ikorodu News that from what we gathered, Governor Fashola is not aware of what is happening in Sabo market. The pain we, the market women, are passing through, is unbearable for us because our customers can no longer come in to buy goods from us.
Most of the times, our customers park outside the market premises or pay N100 toll to park inside. Traders must have a sticker of N I,000 on their vehicles and will also have to pay a sum of N100 as monthly due even after they might have gotten the sticker. As a market woman, I have to pass through the second gate, that is, if I have the sticker. .
The farmers are crying because in other states, their governments are encouraging them, but here in Sabo market, farmers can no longer bring in their farm produce and that is bringing hardship on us and we believe the governor is not aware of' it because we see him as a reasonable governor, who cannot do this to us.
That is why we believe why this kind of construction work, without proper arrangement, ought not to have been made. We did not complain about the previous building, because there was no case of flood in the market. You should ask the lyaloja of Sabo market; she is aware of everything that is happening in the market.
At the construction site, an aggressive bricklayer or labourer was hostile to inquiries posed by Ikorodu News crew, until a site engineer came to politely enlighten the journalists on the going on.
At Iya Oloja's beautiful office inside the Sabo market, the market leader, Alhaja Taofikat Allison, was not present. Through a phone call, she invited the team of journalists to her residence at Anibaba area of Ikorodu Central Business District, where we had a 30 minute chat with the articulate leader, who was once a school head teacher.
The lya Oloja washed her hands off the latest going on in the market saying, she was invited by the council and was told they wanted to carry out some development projects.
Alhaja Allison said she is not the owner of any land that is now being reconstructed or housing a water factory instead of a Molue park it used to be. She told Ikorodu News that the Ugu vegetable sellers maintained a kind of autonomy; hence, they should liaise with the contractors to relieve them of their present suffering/handicaps .
The past chairman of the United Vegetable Farm Association in Sabo, who is also the incumbent chairman of lgbo traders union in Ayangburcn market, Chief Innocent Nwakpa, spoke with Ikorodu News Editor for over thirty (30) minutes, tracing the origin of the vegetable farmers from Otto in Iddo, where they traded
In the 70's and 80's, until 1989, when they decided to come back to their Ikorodu base, where they lived and farmed.
According to him, they began settling along Agunbiade street until the Ikorodu local government, which felt they were messing up the place, gave them a place in Sabo market, then a virgin land. The portion for the vegetable traders was described as a den of criminals and a semi forest. The Igbo traders transformed the place and stayed put when Ikorodu indigenes, who had shops in the market, refused to trade in the market, preferring Lagos Island.
The local government, he said, gave all allocations of the place to the lgbo traders in 2007. They have now decided to displace these people, who had faithfully and patiently helped to make Sabo market to grow.Chief Nwakpa alleged that the council left all the other open space it could have constructed the new market and came to their own area because they have no voice and no one to defend them.
By 2pm, on Monday, March 10, 2014, news reached our desk that a team of officials from Alausa visited the market few minutes ago to seal up the construction work the local government was executing.
By 2pm, on Monday, March 10, 2014, news reached our desk that a team of officials from Alausa visited the market few minutes ago to seal up the construction work the local government was executing.
Ikorodu News gathered that complaints had reached several quarters, including the office of Iya Oloja General of Lagos State, the Lagos State Market Board and Environmental authorities, among others.
Perhaps, these complaints prompted the intervention of the Lagos state government.
By 3:30pm, we got a report that a team from Ikorodu council, including the council manager and others, had just left the market. They reportedly came to see the sealing off of the construction work by the superior authorities in Alausa.
Observers are wondering what had become of the construction of a replica of Tejuosho model market, which the Ikorodu local government had proposed to build by partnership arrangement, the model/architectural design of which Ikorodu News published last year.
Could it be that all the grandiose plans of the Anipole administration at lta-llewa old secretariat and Sabo were flukes?
Why did the council choose only one portion of Sabo market for construction, when it had plans for total restructuring of the entire market? Is the accusation of discrimination against the lgbo traders in that market
real or imagined?
Who authorized the sudden toll collection of N100 per vehicle in Sabo? To whom does the money go? What is the cost of that construction work that has now been halted? What was the completion period by the contractor, said to he Nzehruebu Ventures Nigeria Limited?
As long as what is going on in Sabo is still shrouded in secrecy on the part of the local government, it seems that the blame for indiscriminate construction of stalls will continue, even when Anipole's intention might be good and for public interest.
Post a Comment