Alade Market has come to stay, Tinubu-Ojo tells aggrieved traders

The Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, has described the redevelopment of Alade Market into a shopping mall at the cost of N6.9billion and the relocation of the traders temporarily to a new site as a welcome development, urging traders who were still disgruntled about the development to join hands with the government in order to take the market to a new height.

Tinubu-Ojo said this in Lagos while addressing newsmen at the new site where the traders were relocated temporarily, shortly after an inspection, even as she lauded the state government for the redevelopment plan of the market.

The Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, who also urged the traders to join hands with the market concessionaire, Master Reality International Concept Limited, declared that there was no feud among the traders as being bandied about as original allottees were now fully resettled at the new site.

“As far as I am concerned, the original allottees of Old Alade Market are all here, there is no problem,” she said.

Saturday Tribune gathered that the groundwork for the shopping mall is set to commence any time from now, following the successful relocation of the traders to the newly constructed market nearby.

The Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, while noting that it would be the first time a new market was made available before an old one was pulled down, declared that the relocation was in the interest of all the affected traders.

According to Tinubu-Ojo, “Traders in Old Alade Market are lucky because they are the first set that will be provided with alternative before the commencement of the redevelopment. In previous cases, the redevelopment would have started before provision is made for the occupants.”

“Also, my late grandmother demanded that the relocation is completed before the demolition of the existing structure. The cost of the shop to the original allottees is N150, 000. But for fresh traders, the price would differ. The price for the original allottees was for the purchase of the shop,” she said.

The Iyaloja General, while enjoining few traders who were still disgruntled about the development to join hands with the government, the concessionaire and the majority traders to take the market into a new height, however, assured that traders had opportunity to apply after the redevelopment of the New Alade Market Shopping Mall was completed.

According to her, opportunity is available for anyone who is interested in becoming a traders in the New Alade Market to buying allocation form, saying the measure was put in place to ensure fairness.

“There is no issue in the redevelopment except for few traders who paraded themselves as concerned traders that were formenting trouble in the market. But, I have instructed their Iyaloja, Mrs. Adenuga to accept them whenever they decide to return to the new market.

“I approved the redevelopment. All over the world, there are redevelopments. And those standing against the redevelopment often travel and well exposed. We should always be ready to allow change to happen,” Tinubu-Ojo said.