By Lukman Olabiyi
A group of traders at ‘Pepsi Building’ of the popular Gorodum Market in Lagos Island, has pleaded with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to stop Lagos Island Local Government authorities from demolishing their shops and make lives difficult for them.
The traders made the plea in a petition dated January 11, 2021, captioned “Protest against proposed wrongful and illegal demolition of our shops, stalls at Block ‘N’, Pepsi Building, Allocated to us by the Lagos Island West Local Government.”
In the petition, the aggrieved traders through their representatives, Ayisat Dada-Ajose and Dada David, narrated how the management of the Lagos Island West Local Government Area, attempted to send them out of business under the pretence of renovating the building, against the clearance and certification by the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LAMTL).
The traders also claimed that on two occasions, they were forced by management of the council to carry out renovations of the buildings, which gulped N12 million but the council still carried on with the threat of demolishing it.
However, Prince Toyese Olushi and Mr. Olayigbade Yussuf Olatunji, the Council chairman and the Chief of Staff to chairman/supervisor for works, respectively, said there is no element of truth in the traders allegations, as it has no contractual agreement with the traders but the contractor that developed the structure.