22nd October, 2023
By Adejoke Adeleye,Ogun
Ogun governor Dapo Abiodun has given traders on road setbacks along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway especially those at Kara, Isheri Warewa a 21- day ultimatum to vacate the area to enable his government restore environmental sanity to the axis.
The Governor said this will pave way for demolition of their shanties as a first step for a proper clean – up of the axis and beautification of the setback to complementthe reconstruction of the expressway by the federal government.
Governor Abiodun gave the directive in a message delivered on his behalf by his Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya during a meeting with community leaders at the palace of Olofin of Isheri, Oba Sulaiman Adekunle Bamgbade in Isheri.
Abiodun said the state government decided to dislodge the street traders and demolish all the shanties to restore environmental sanity along the Ogun axis of the Expressway after several warnings, abatement notices and other entreatis for the traders to move to government approved markets were not heeded.
He added that aside from the environmental nuisance the traders constitute, most of their shanties are security risk to members of the public as they are used as criminal hideouts for street urchins and drug peddlers who rob innocent citizens of their valuables in broad daylight.
Abiodun added that the continuous stay of the traders in the filthy shanties which they have converted to homes is of concern to the government hygienically.
He said this is because the traders practice open defecation which can lead to outbreak of communicable diseases in adjoining communities.
“So my government will not wait and allow a small group of individuals in the name of trading which is outside approved markets put the safety and health of our decent people at risk”Governor Abiodun added.
Responding, Oba Bamgbola on behalf of the community leaders pledged the commitment of the residents to government’s efforts at ridding the axis of menace of street traders.
He agreed that the shanties of the traders not only pose environmental challenges, but are used by criminals to attack innocent residents of the area and other unsuspecting members of the public.