Traders Appeal To Govt Over Demolished Shops

Traders whose shops were demolished in Osogbo, Osun State have appealed to the state government to provide alternative places for them to continue their businesses.

The appeal came on the heels of the on-going demolition exercise that began early July which almost took the traders by surprise, as the exercise got to the Fakunle and Ogo-Oluwa axis of the popular Osogbo-Gbongan read, and did not spare the fence of the campaign office of the state Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.

A cross section of traders at MDS area said that government should have completed the three major markets in Osogbo before embarking on the demolision exercise.

A food stuff trader Mrs Cecilia Kola wole, said they were not against development, but that government ought to have provided alternative places for those affected.

Kolawole called on government to provide alternative places for the hundreds of affected traders, so as to alleviate the attendant hardship being faced by them.

A dealer in agro-chemicals, Alhaji Alao Buseri said the traders were shocked by the appearance of bulldozers in the area, pointing that government would have waited till December when most of the rent paid would have expired.

He said most of the traders have no hope of securing alternative shops due to financial constraints, stressing that government would have completed the Ayegbaju, Aje and Dagbolu market where some of them have paid rent in advance, before the demolition exercise.

Buseri therefore appealed to government to make temporary arrangement for the teaming traders, to prevent heart attacks.