Traders at Ekae Market in the Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State have appealed to the state governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo and other relevant stakeholders to come to their aid over the plan by the council’s authority to demolish their structures in the market.
They made the call while on a protest to the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council, located in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Benin City.
The market men and women carried placards with inscriptions such as “Oredo Wants to Sell Our Market to Strangers”, “Our Governor, Please Save Us”, “To Demolish Our Market is to Kill Us” and “Ekae Market is Our Only Means of Survival”, among others.
Speaking on behalf of the group, one of the traders, Mrs. Becky Erabor, stated that they were taken by surprise last Friday, when they were told by the council authority to vacate the market by Monday (today) to allow for demolition of existing structures and reconstruction of the market.
She pointed out that the three days’ notice was too short and sudden to allow them time to look for other places to trade.
“They gave us three days to vacate the market. Some of us take care of our families; we have nowhere to go now. So many of us, we are fending for what the children would eat,” she stated.
“Oredo came, they gave us free land. We borrowed money to put up structures there, but now they came up and asked us to vacate the land without provision for another place. Some of us have not paid up the money we borrowed, she further stated.
Another trader and chairman of Hausa community in the market, Mr. Mustapha Abubakar, also expressed displeasure over the planned move by the Oredo council to demolish existing structures in the market.
Mr. Abubakar who spoke in pidgin simply said, “Me myself I get the paper wey government gave to show that we paid for the land. I no know where I wan park things go, that is why I come here, make unay help us”.
Reacting to the protest by the traders at Ekae Market, the Head of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) and acting chairman of Oredo local government area of Edo State, Mr. Osaheni Igbinigie appealed to the traders to cooperate with the council authority by vacating the area to allow for reconstruction work in the market.
While noting that the council has also planned reconstruction works in other markets in the LGA, Mr. Igbinigie pointed out that the renovation of Ekae Market, which comprises putting up modern structures and making the market motorable, is to be executed within two months.
The acting chairman, who was in a meeting with the executive members of Ekae Market in his office when TREND REPORTERS visited him, acknowledged the pains the renovation work may cause the traders and appealed to them to look for alternative places to trade, pending the time the work would be completed.
Meanwhile, the Iye-Ekin (Mother of Market) of Ekae Market, Mrs. Vero Igbinosa has commended the Oredo Council Authority over its decision to renovate the market. She, however, appealed that the council authority should allow all those who are currently doing business in the market to return after the renovation and reconstruction.
