Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
May 18, 2015 – Scores of market men and women from Idi-Ose Market in Apapa area of Lagos State today stormed the State House of Assembly appealing for intervention over an alleged planned demolition of the market by a royal father, Oba Fatai Aromire Ojora.
The traders said that the royal father had given them till Thursday 21 May, 2015 to vacate the market or they should be ready to have their property destroyed.
The protesters displayed various placards such as: ‘Oba Ojora wants to become Baba Oja,’ ‘Oba Fatai: Ojora stop harassing Idi-Ose market, Your Wahala too much,’ ‘Lagos! Save our souls from Oba Ojora from selling Idi-Ose market to an hotelier,’ ‘Oba Fatai Ojara, leave Idi-Ode market alone, don’t sell it to hotelier’ and Oba Fatai Ojora instead of selling Idi-Ose market to an hotelier better sell the palace,” among others.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the Iyaloja-General of Apapa-Ignamu, Alhaja Nike Owoseni said she got the information about the proposed demolition on Thursday last week and she has appealed for peace, adding that as the Leader of not less than 16 markets under her domain she has been making move to resolve the impasse.
“When they called me on Thursday that they wanted to pull down the market, we went to police station to complain and we tried also to see the Oba but we were told that he was engaged in a festival. So I told my people to maintain peace.
“This morning, I was called again that some youth numbering about twenty were in the market harassing the traders. Our people wanted to retaliate by fighting them but we had to appeal to for calm,” she said.
Also speaking, the secretary of Idi-Ose Market, Pastor M. A. Adeoye said the Oba was maltreating them as slaves, adding that the threat to vacate the market has been on since last year.
According to Adeoye, they were terrified over the audacity of the traditional ruler to order closure of the market that has been approved by the government, saying the power to give such order should have come from a local government authority.
In his reaction, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji who was represented by the Chairman House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Segun Olulade promised that the House would intervene to resolve the issue.
“I want to express our gratitude to you on behalf of mr Speaker for maintaining peace. We have received your petition and I can assure you that within the next 24 hours, we shall invite all the necessary parties that are involved.”
