Katangua market traders plead with LASG on relocation

Lagos – Some traders at the Katangua Market under the  Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority in Lagos State have pleaded with the state Government to  reconsider its decision to relocate the market.

They told the told journalists in Lagos on Tuesday that the relocation of the market could be counter-productive.

The traders said that rather than relocate the market, government should upgrade it to international standard.

They appealed to the state government to shelve its plan to relocate the market, saying that such action would worsen their plight.

One of the traders, Mr Etim Udoh, told reporters that government should instead improve the market by building modern shops.

He said that the levies which the traders had been paying to government should be used to upgrade the market.

Another trader, Mr John Onwudike, said that the market was an important economic centre which had been contributing immensely to economic development of Lagos.

Onwudike, a university graduate, said that the current location of the market was strategic for buyers and sellers.

“Relocating us will translate to hopelessness to many of us because this is location has added value to our means of survival.

“Many of my customers will not patronise us again if we move to a new site and this will affect my turnover.

“I believe the best thing to do is for the government to upgrade this market,” he said

Another trader, Mr Emeka Thomas, said that the development of the market was long overdue.

He said that relocating the market would amount to discouraging enterprise.

“We contribute to the GDP of this state; the market helps to take many youths off the streets and has added value to businesses in this state.

“Besides, we provide service for the poor in the society and it will be wrong not to support traders like us,“ he said.

Mrs Ngozi Ndubusi, another trader, said that government ought to be thinking of creating access for them to get soft loans instead of planning to eject them.

“My children’s education will surely suffer if government pushes us out of this market.

“I urge Gov. Babatunde Fashola to develop this market instead of pushing us out, “ she said.

Mrs Temitope Samson, another trader, said that government needed to review its ban on importation of fairly-used clothes.

“The funny thing is that this business has continued to grow in spite of the ban, “ she said.

Samson told NAN that until clothes manufacturing companies and local production of fabrics were revived, the business of fairly-used clothes would continue to thrive.

NAN reports that Katangua market is a major market for fairly-used clothes in Lagos.   (NAN)