Ladipo Market: Traders Cry For Help

For some traders at the Aguyi Ironsi section of Ladipo International market, this is not the best of times as their shops are still under locks and key despite the order given by the Lagos State government that all shops in the market be re-opened.

The market was initially shut in February this year. Two weeks after, the Lagos State government ordered the re-opening of the market after the traders had fulfilled certain conditions.

While full business activities appear to be in full swing at the market, the Aguyi Ironsi section of the market is still under locks.

When P.M.NEWS BusinessWeek visited the market, Some traders disclosed that that some sections of the market were still locked as a result of the leadership crisis among the traders.

The traders, however, appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to intervene in the matter as they lose millions of naira everyday.

Speaking under anonymity, a motor spare parts trader bemoaned how earning a living has become  a difficult task since the section of the market was shut down

He said: “Our only source of income is this business. Our shops/businesses have been shut down for about  two months  and there is nothing else to do. We have families and feeding them has been a serious challenge. We have invested so much money importing spare parts and yet nothing to show for it’’.

He stated that the crisis in Ladipo market is like a power tussle between two elephants; in which only the grass suffers.

“This crisis has been on for a while now and we expect by now it would have been over but the problem still persist. I still can imagine that a certain individual would hold everybody to ransom due to his personal interest and influence. I’m more worried that government is yet to find a lasting solution to the leadership crisis and the power tussle that have turned the market to a no go area. If conducting a fresh election will be the solution, then it should. We know Governor Fashola to be upright and a man who love to protect the interest of the masses. We are appealing therefore to his government and other respective authorities to come to our aide so that our shops will be reopened soon’’ he fumed.

When P.M.NEWS BusinessWeek‘s  visited the market, traders were seen lobbying around the main gate of the lock-up shops. They were denied entry by men of the Police Force who were stationed there to maintain order. Several Police vans and an Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, were at the entrance.

Narrating their ordeal, the traders revealed that some of their colleagues recently suffered heart attacks due to the setback the crisis brought to their businesses and families.They made reference to a particular trader who died recently as a result of the closure of the market.

Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market is located in Mushin Local Government. The market was initially shut down in February this year. Two weeks after, the Lagos State government ordered the re-opening of the market..

They conditions include non-conversion of the drainage Right of Way (RoW) into trading points and mechanic workshops,  non-conversion of the access roads in the market for trading activities, non-conversion of the shops in the market for residential purposes, no dumping of waste  and vehicle parts into the canal, maintaining the general cleanliness of the market environment at all times and that Ladipo Central Executive Committee, LACEC, shall be empowered to ensure same.

—Femi Ayodele