16th August, 2011
Market leaders in Lagos Island Local Government Area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, have throw the weight behind Mr. Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, the chairman, for another term in office.
The leaders, under the aegis of Lagos Island Market Action Committee, said to be controlling 69 markets in the council area, said they were in full support of the council boss going for second term as a result of the numerous achievements of his administration during its first term.
The committee also dissociates itself from an earlier rally purported organised by a woman who claimed to be a leader in Epetedo Market, saying, there is no such market not to talk of someone claiming to be a leader in the area.
According to Alhaji Tajudeen Alade Onimole, the Babaloja-General of Lagos Island, “before I became the Babaloja-General and till today, I have not known of any market called Epetedo Market not to talk of someone claiming to be its leader. I say, with all emphasis, that any market that is not in our register is not in existence, so therefore, there is nothing called Epetedo Market on the Island here.
“Also, we market men and women in this area are in full support of the chairman’s second term bid because of what he has done, which are too numerous to mention and any trader that is against it is not part of us.”
Onimole warned people to desist from bringing the name of the traders and committee into disrepute.
Alhaja Raliat Adebayo, who represented Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji and Alhaja Iyabo Fagbemi, the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria and her Lagos Island counterpart respectively, also supported Alhaji Onimole concerning markets on the Island and the purported protest against the second term bid of the council chairman.
Adebayo, who is also the leader of the committee said, “I am speaking on behalf of our market leaders that the chairman should go for second term because of the wonderful work he has done.
“We want him to come back and complete the what he started. We do not have anywhere called Epetedo Market and nobody can claim to be a leader of non-existing market. We, the authentic market leaders, are strongly behind the chairman’s second term bid.
“We have endorsed him and anyone that says anything contrary is not a member of any market on the Island,” she declared.
— Paul Sanusi