The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has extended the November 5 deadline for hawkers to cease operation in Abuja to November 11.
Isa Shuiabu, Director of the Board, announced this on Friday in Abuja, while addressing executive members of the Abuja Hawkers Association.
It would be recalled that the Director gave the hawkers up to November 5 to relocate to the Area Councils.
He said Abuja had been designed by the Government as the capital territory where everything was properly planned, saying that hawking would not be tolerated.
“Abuja is the city of government where things have been planned for the administration of this country.”
Shuaibu added that the evacuation of hawkers from the city cut across all kinds of hawking, including bicycle hawking and recharge card stands.
According to him, there is no dignity in hawking, rather the lives of those who hawk are in danger and the environment is dirty and unhealthy.
“It is better for you to be in a place where you have your right and your child can inherit it than for you to be a vagabond on the street and you are being pursued day and night.”
The Director, who solicited for the cooperation of hawkers, said that he would apply force if at the end of the new deadline they failed to comply.
Responding on behalf of others, the Chairman, Mr Aliyu Abdulaziz, urged the board to assist them in securing places in the local areas.
He promised to convey the new deadline to other hawkers, saying that they would comply with the directive.
They earlier pleaded for the extension of the date to enable them to secure a place.
The new fine for defaulters after the deadline is of N50,000 as against the initial N3,000.
