Apongbon Traders Protest Eviction Notice

Traders with stores under and around the Apongbon bridge, Lagos Island yesterday pleaded with the Lagos State government to rescind its decision to evacuate them from under the bridge.

The traders, who were affected by last week’s fire outbreak, said they have nowhere else to go and pleaded that the state government allows them to continue their businesses at the same location.

The traders  displayed various placards lamenting that they are helpless and depend on their stores located around the bridge for means of livelihood.

“We are over 20,000 businessmen and women, please don’t displace us,” one of the placards by the traders read.

The traders said markets affected by the directive include the Aromoleti Esho market, Shoe and bag market, Irewolede market, ECOWAS market, and Asejere market.

This comes a few days after the popular Apongbon market was gutted by fire. Although no life was lost in the fire outbreak, motorists heading toward Lagos Island were held up in grueling gridlock and the bridge was destroyed in the fire.

The state government in response to the incident shut the bridge and gave the traders a seven-day quit notice to evacuate their makeshift shops and containers.

The Lagos State Governor,  Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has  said allowing traders to continue doing business under the burnt Apongbon Bridge will be reckless on the part of government.

He said that the federal and state governments had given the traders seven days ultimatum to vacate the bridge

The governor said the order still stood, hence, the deadline would expire on Wednesday.

According to him, the state and local governments will meet with representatives of the traders to sort out the possible place to relocate them, to ensure they continue to earn their livelihood.

”The level of destruction is extremely unfortunate. This is a clear testimony of how public assets should not be turned to. We are going to start excessive clearing of the place.

“To go back to how it is been done, is to mean that we are just being reckless, it will make us completely irresponsible, because we cannot assure of the safety of the bridge.

”We cannot just allow all of that to happen. They are completely illegal. And there are things that we should not have around us and in a big city like this, it is not acceptable,” he said.