Market Leader Decries High Cost Of Stalls In Lagos

The women market
leader in Lagos Mainland, Mrs Basirat Balogun, has decried the high rents on state-owned stalls in major markets in the state.
Balogun made the observation while speaking with journalists in Lagos.
He said that the stalls, built by the state government, were not affordable to many traders.
She urged the Lagos State Government to provide affordable chain of stores for the traders at the Oyingbo food market to prevent rowdiness.
“The state government has been trying to provide stalls in major markets, but they are always too expensive.
“We need to know that most of the traders in the markets are running on small and medium scale.
“Therefore, how do we expect them to be able to afford a stall that costs between N500,000 to three million naira per annum?
“Take a look at Oloosha and Yaba markets; they are all lying fallow with no one to rent them because of the high costs, which only amounts to a waste of funds.
“At the end of the day, the aim of the government in providing the stalls is actually defeated because it only satisfies a selected few, while the small scale traders loiter around.
“We are also calling on the state government to provide Oyingbo main market with affordable chain of stores,” she said.
Balogun told newsmen that provision of affordable stalls would serve as avenue for the government to assist small and medium scale businesses and not just large scale businesses.
She attributed the rising cost of food items to the state of insecurity in states in the North.