The fight against eradication of street trading within Lagos Central Business District has received a boost with the introduction of 30 corners shops donated by Mikano International Limited.

Receiving the corner shops at Onikan, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts, Mr. Agboola Dabiri, commended the gesture of Mikano in living up to its social corporate responsibility and warned traders who displayed their wares on the roads and walkways to desist henceforth.

The Special Adviser said that the introduction of corner shops in strategic locations on Lagos Island was aimed at eradicating street trading in the axis. He maintained that state government had declared a zero tolerance on street trading in areas where the corner shops had been introduced.

Agboola reiterated that the present administration was committed to fast-tracking the vision of turning our Lagos into an enviable mega-city and a role model to other states in the country, stressing that the vision would not be disrupted by the deplorable action of street traders and its attendant risk to human life and environment.

He said the replacement of street traders with modern corner shops would be a trade booster to the Central Business District and also ensure constant clean environment.

Dabiri called on other companies operating in Lagos to emulate the gesture of Mikano in assisting the state government in the provision of developmental facilities as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

According to him, “Central Business District is a world on its own and managing it is a huge task which government alone cannot handle. Millions of people troop to Lagos Island CBD on a daily basis to transact various businesses and most corporate organisations have their headquarters located on the Lagos Island which therefore means that free flow of traffic must be ensured at all times”.

While congratulating the beneficiaries of the shops, he urged them to use the facilities judiciously in line with laid down rules and regulations.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of Mikano International Limited, Ibrahim Ibrahim said the company is always ready to partner with the state government in meeting the needs of Lagosians.

He disclosed that, apart from the donation of corner shops to the government, the company is providing sanitation tools and payment of two years salaries of 10 sanitation workers in support of the Governor’s Cleaner Lagos Initiative vision.

Meanwhile, the state government has also inaugurated the Central Business District Market Sanitation Task Force as part of efforts to ensure a cleaner market environment across the Lagos Island business district.

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