Again, Lagos demolishes 235 shops, 125 containers under high tension wire

•We have been here for 20yrs —Affected traders

In continuation of enforcement of its policy that no structure should stand under high tension cables in the state, the Lagos State government, last weekend, demolished more than 235 illegal shops and 125 containers at Igbara Market, Jakande, on Lekki-Epe Expressroad.

This was just as the chairman, Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation (Task Force), Olayinka Egbeyemi, called on market leaders (Iya Oloja and Baba Oloja), to honourably enforce government directives on high tension cables across the state, by relocating to less dangerous locations, where they could easily ply their trade without any fear of danger to their lives and valuables.

Egbeyemi gave the advice while supervising the demolition exercise, carried out by the operatives of the agency.

The Task Force boss, in a release made available to Lagos Metro by the Public Affairs Officer of the agency, Mr Taofiq Adebayo, enjoined market leaders in all the local governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state to support government by educating traders on the imminent danger associated with trading under high tension cables.

The Task Force boss, who confirmed that a seven-day notice was served to shops owners and all traders before the demolition exercise was embarked upon, affirmed that no responsible and responsive government would tolerate any trading activities under such dangerous condition.

Chairman, Spare Parts Traders Association at the market, Mr Ugo Onuha, who said his members had been operating at the market for more than 20 years, recalled that the market was constructed by Igbara communities which comprised three different families namely Lawal, Balogun and Badanu.

Onuha and his deputy, Lazarus Obina, however, pleaded with the government to construct a low priced market  environment for traders around the area, as those constructed by private developers were beyond their reach.