UPDATE: LAGOS TASKFORCE RAIDS OSHODI, APONGBON TRADERS (PHOTOS)
Read Time:2 Minute, 39 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Oshodi railway track and the Apongbon bridge were “cleared” of traders indiscriminately displaying items on Monday by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offenses Unit (Taskforce).
According to a statement made by the taskforce’s spokeswoman, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the enforcement exercise was conducted on Monday.
The action furthers the state government’s determination to outlaw street dealing on state roads and other key streets in the city, as well as the state governor’s order to get rid of illicit vendors.
“The simultaneous operations which were tactically supervised by the chairman of the agency, CSP Shola Jejeloye was as a result of the directives of the state government to all environmental enforcement agencies of government saddled with the responsibility of restoring sanity on the walkways, highways and rail tracks where some individuals incessantly carry out trading activities which not only debase the environment but also cause pain and discomfort to Lagosians,” the statement reads.
During the exercise, the taskforce’s chairman, Shola Jejeloye, stated that numerous notices had been sent to traders, particularly those at the Oshodi rail track, where the agency had conducted a sensitization and “subtle warning” to deter them from returning to the tracks, but they had been ignored.
“Our warnings have been sent out to them for as long as two years ago but they don’t listen. We served notices at Fagba where some people built shanties, kiosks from Fagba all the way to Pen Cinema and Isokoko thereby shortchanging motorists and pedestrians who should enjoy free movement along that axis. It is completely unfair to all Lagosians and we will make sure that they are all cleared out with immediate effect,” he said.
According to the head of the agency, they should have detained both the buyer and seller involved in the transaction, but they chose to “avoid double jeopardy” and merely seized the items discovered on the Oshodi rail tracks.
Mr. Jejeloye invited the industry titans to attend a roundtable discussion at the agency’s headquarters in order to create a long-term solution to the problem.
According to Mr. Jejeloye, the raid under the Apongbon Bridge was conducted to avert any environmental disasters that might recur and result in the loss of life and property.
After being closed for repairs due to a few outbreaks, the bridge was reopened for vehicular traffic after 15 months.
A fire broke out at the market area on March 23rd, destroying several of the shops underneath the bridge.
According to Mr. Jejeloye, the enforcement effort was required since street vendors’ operations constituted a serious threat to the city of Lagos’ ecology and general well-being.
He urged all traders to move their operations to the complex that the state government had supplied and to stop engaging in activities that would be detrimental to the state.
“Achieving a mega city status as enshrined in the THEMES agenda of the state government is a collective effort and all hands must be on deck to ensure its sustenance. We will carry out these enforcement exercise on a daily basis to ensure we achieve our aim and anyone found going against the law will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly, he said.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
100 %
1
0