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Tears as Lagos government demolishes Owonifari Market

By Eniola Daniel
29 July 2018   |   4:11 am
Tears freely flowed, yesterday, in Oshodi area of Lagos State, as the Owonifari Market was again demolished, to pave way for the ongoing Oshodi Ultra-modern Bus Terminal.

Tears freely flowed, yesterday, in Oshodi area of Lagos State, as the Owonifari Market was again demolished, to pave way for the ongoing Oshodi Ultra-modern Bus Terminal.

Recall that in January 2015, the Governor Akinwumi Ambode-led administration ordered the demolition of Mosafejo section of the market, which shared boundaries with the shopping arena, and a section of Owonifari Market following, which government directed traders from Owonifari market to relocated to Isopakodowo in Oshodi.

Samuel Odum, one of the traders whose shop was demolished said: “We were only given three days notice to move out of our shops. I was unable to remove my goods before the shop was pulled down at 11pm on Friday. I got a call that government is destroying our shops, but when I got here, I met street urchins and scavengers going away with our goods. I lost over a million Naira.

“Six or three months notice would have helped us take care of our goods before the demolition. The three days given was not done with a human face and we can’t fight the government.”

Other traders, mostly men, were seen getting out their goods from the rubble as they described the demolition exercise as ‘wickedness.’

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