Monday, 27 May 2013
Today being Monday, activities in alausa secretariat in Ikeja Lagos state, came to a halt when hundreds of traders in Pelewura Market stormed the office of Governor Babatunde Fashola and the State House of Assembly, to protest planned demolition of the market by government for the construction of cable car station.
The traders, under the aegis of Ifesowapo Market Association, Lagos Island, stormed Alausa at 9a.m. and argued that the proposed cable car station would put over 2,000 traders out of business.
The protesters displayed placards with various inscriptions such as "It is hard to cope with the state of the country’s economy", "Save our job and save Pelewura market", We don’t trade by the road side", "Pelewura mustn’t go into extinction", among others.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, legal adviser to the market, Mr. Azeez Olagoke, said their present location had not, in anyway, obstructed traffic flow, neither does it constitute environmental nuisance.
Olagoke explained that they had been trading on building materials on the 4,000 square metre land for over 25 years.
Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, who was represented by Mr. Bisi Yusuf, urged them to return to their market and assured that the House would attend to their petition, adding “suddenly they received letter from the office of the governor that the title to the market has been revoked to give way from the construction of the cable car station.”
He lamented that the state government hasn’t provided any alternative location for the traders, saying “how would they survive without trading.”
