- Governor Abiodun emphasized that the shanties established by the traders not only create an environmental nuisance but also pose a security risk to the public
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has issued a directive for all unauthorized cow sellers and street traders occupying road setbacks along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, specifically in the Kara, Isheri Warewa area, to vacate the premises within the next 21 days.
If the traders do not comply within this timeframe, their shanties will be demolished to facilitate the proper cleanup of the area.
Governor Abiodun emphasized that the shanties established by the traders not only create an environmental nuisance but also pose a security risk to the public.
He said the shanties also serve as criminal hideouts for street urchins and drug peddlers, “who rob innocent citizens of their valuables in broad daylight”.
The clean-up, Abiodun disclosed, is in preparation for the beautification of the setbacks to complement the reconstruction of the expressway by the Federal Government.
Abiodun gave the directive in a message delivered on his behalf by the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, during a meeting with community leaders at the palace of the Olofin of Isheri, Oba Sulaiman Adekunle Bamgbade in Isheri.
The governor, according to a statement on Sunday, said the decision to dislodge the street traders and demolish all their shanties was to restore environmental sanity after several warnings, abatement notices and other entreaties for them to move to government approved markets failed.
The release by the Press Officer, Ministry of Environment, Rotimi Odunniyi, stated that Abiodun expressed concerns over the continuous stay of the animal sellers and other traders in the “filthy shanties” which he said they have converted to their homes.
The governor noted that the traders now practise open defecation in the illegal market, adding that the development can lead to outbreak of communicable diseases like cholera in adjoining communities.
“So, my government will not wait and allow a small group of individuals in the name of trading outside approved markets put the safety and health of our decent people at risk,” Abiodun emphasised.
Responding, Oba Bamgbola pledged the commitment of the residents to the government’s efforts in ridding the axis of the menace of street traders.
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