Traders under the auspices of South-East Amalgamated Marketers Traders Association (SEAMATA) have risen to condemn Lagos State Government’s demolition of Electrical and Electronics Market in Oshodi.
The condemnation came from the President of SEAMATA, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo who said in Onitsha that Lagos State Government did not give the traders time to remove their goods before moving bulldozers to pull down their shops.
While condemning the act which depicts a totalitarian administration, he demanded compensation from the state to traders whose shops and goods were destroyed as a result of the demolition.
Ezenwankwo reiterated that the traders were not given enough notice to evacuate their wares before the demolition, and wondered why the demolition was carried out at a time traders travelled to their various hometowns for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“Lagos State should have given the traders more time to relocate their goods before demolishing the market. The traders there are mostly Igbo, who travelled home for Christmas and New Year celebrations. Why did the demolition take place in absence? What will be the fate of those who lost their goods? We condemn the demolition of the market now and demand compensation to those who lost goods to the demolition.”
-Emmanuel Ikechukwu
