Scores of traders at popular Kuto Market in Abeokuta ,including shop owners and Baale of the community on Thursday protested against proposed plan by the Abeokuta South Local Government to further demolish shops and stalls, to pave way for the market's ongoing remodeling project in the Ogun State capital
The affected traders who had earlier stormed residence of Baale of Kuto community and the local council secretariat in Ake area of the ancient city at the early hours of the day, expressed shock over the one week quit notice issued to them by the management of Abeokuta South Local Government to vacate their shops, as they appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to urgently intervene and prevail on the council's Chairman, Hon. Omolaja Majekodunmi to stop the demolition exercise in the market
Head of Kuto community, Chief (Alhaji),Muftau Kehinde stressed the urgent need for the governor to quickly step in and ask the local council chairman to halt the proposed plan for demolition, in order to prevent avoidable sudden death of traders whose shops and stalls had been marked for demolition
He described the second phase of the remodeling project of the market by the local council as ill-conceived, with less than a month to the completion of the three-year tenure of the elected councils' chairmen and councillors in the state
The Baale urged the local council chairman to concentrate on the completion of the first phase of the remodeling project and stop causing chaos for him and the traders who are mostly women and breadwinners of their respective families and have no other means of livelihood than selling at the market
He warned , that any further action on the demolition exercise was capable of sending the affected traders to their early graves or turn them to prostituted on streets as a means of survival , in order to feed their families
"We are appealing to the governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to stop Omolaja from carrying out further demolition for us to continue to enjoy peaceful atmosphere among traders in the market
Some of the affected traders, Mrs Toyin Odedina , Mrs Akinrinola and Mrs Abosede Idowu narrated how the quit notice was pasted on doors of their shops on late hours of Wednesday, asking them to vacate the shops within a week
The traders who vowed to reject further demolition of shops at the market, alleged that those whose shops were demolished two months ago to pave way for the take off of the first phase of the remodeling project, were not considered in the allocation of the completed shops put at N6 million each after reconstruction
They accused the local council of allocating shops to those who are not traders at the market, pleading with the governor to come to their rescue and save them from the agony of losing their only source of livelihood
Some of the affected traders according to them, are still in shock and now receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre
The traders threatened to converge on the residence of Baale of Kuto this Friday ,12th of July, 2024, and prevent him and members of his household from going out or coming in, until he finds solution to the brewing crisis in the market
No comments:
Post a Comment