Barely a week after the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, paid an unscheduled visit to the Ladipo auto spare parts market in Mushin, the state government has given traders two weeks notice to quit some sections of the market already marked for demolition.

The notice was announced to the leadership of the market under the umbrella of Ladipo Auto Central Executive Committee (LACEC) on Tuesday by the state government at the stakeholders meeting held to fine-tune arrangements for the proposed multi-layer car park promised by the governor during his visit last week.

“To start with, we will commence the process for the construction with a stakeholders’ meeting next week. At the meeting, we will agree on the process and how the project will be done. We will rearrange the market so that we can commence the construction work next month,” Ambode had said.

This latest development is an anticlimax to last week’s visit, which had already doused tension of a possible relocation of the market owing to the numerous complaints of environmental and sanitary nuisance it constitutes to the public, especially road users in the area.

Apart from the pledge to build a multi-layer car park within the market, so that cars will no longer be allowed to park on the roads, obstructing free flow of traffic, the governor also promised to reconstruct the two major roads within the market, which are in deplorable state to enhance easy movement and create for an environmental-friendly activity in the area.

It was at the stakeholders meeting that market leaders were confronted with government’s decision to demolish some parts of the market. The Guardian gathered that those that would be affected are shops built under the high tension cable along the Five Star axis leading to Ladipo Street and adjoining streets such as Osoro and Olateju, among others, which have been taken over by street traders and auto technicians.

This latest development has thrown many of the traders into panic. They had earlier heaved a sigh of relief when the governor visited to inspect the road, that at last their appeal over the bad roads would be attended to.

When contacted, president of the LACEC, Comrade Kingsley Ogunor, was not available for comment but the LACEC Public Relations Officer, Uba Ezeigbo, who confirmed the development, explained what led to the decision.

According to him, some mechanics, who were allocated the affected areas to be used as workshops, rather built shops on the portion of the land and rented it out to traders.

They in turn now moved out to the main road to do their mechanical work.

He said it was based on that the government summoned the leadership and informed them of their decision, which unfortunately, would affect the traders. “The government is trying to avoid rehabilitating the roads and then allow the activities of those mechanics to destroy it again. And we can’t stop them because it will affect the construction of the car park that will bring rapid development to the market.” (Tope Templer Olaiya/The Guardian)

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