Traders of the popular Oyingbo market complex on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over the closure of their shops in the plaza.
The aggrieved traders disclosed that the act was carried out on the instruction of the Iyaloja General, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo.
Folashade, daughter of the national leader of the All Progressive Congress, is the current president of the Association of Commodity Market Women and Men of Nigeria.
She was said to have locked the gate to the plaza following complaints of traders displaying wares in an untidy environment.
The protesting traders took to the streets and major roads in procession, carrying placards with different inscriptions that read, “Folashade Tinubu Ojo, Ahmed Tinubu’s daughter leave Oyingbo Market alone. Mainland Local Government, hear our cry.”
Another placard read, “Folashade Ojo Tinubu, we have children and we have house rent to settle. We refuse to be miscreants.”
SaharaReporters reported that the Iyaloja imposed a fine of N5 million fine on the traders after the expiration of two days’ ultimatum for the traders to clean up the premises of the market.
Many of the traders who allegedly entered the premises forcefully lamented the decomposing state of their goods.
The demonstrators claimed that they don’t deserved the imposed N5 million fine after carrying out a proper sanitation of the environment within the stipulated two days.
One of the affected traders cried that their source of income and means of livelihood depend on proceeds from the market forced the gate open on Tuesday evening.
She said, “We are here in Otto modern market, Oyingbo. Our complex has been locked for over two weeks now. The Iyaloja, Folashade, Tinubu’s daughter came and locked it up since two Thursdays ago. She was demanding for N5million fine for leaving the environment dirty.
“This is a place where wholesalers sell foodstuffs, raw foodstuffs, perishable items, any type of foodstuff you’re looking for. All over Lagos, the Oyingbo market is known as a place where you can come and buy items and resell them at your price. This place is really populated, a lot of people trade here, they come from all over Lagos to come and make transactions.
“We were here when she (Folashade) came and locked up the premises with the claims that the environment is dirty and we were given two days ultimatum to clean up the environment which has been done.
“As we speak now, the DPO is here, a lot of people are here to take a view of the premises. The place has been cleaned up. The angry traders were forced to pull down the gate in the late hours of yesterday, that attracted a protest this morning because a lot of goods have been spoilt – Garri, potatoes, have been thrown out this morning.
“Whereas she is still bent on payment of the N5 million fine that if we don’t pay, this place will not be opened and a lot of people depend on the earnings from this place to feed their families, take care of themselves, some people who took loans are still paying, shops have been locked, a lot of customers have been frustrated.
“As a wholesaler, I have a lot of customers who depend on me but they have been disappointed for the past two weeks because I have no access to my own shop.
“People are here protesting seriously against the spoilt items and the N5million fine she is insisting we have to pay. We are going round the whole complex with the DPO right now. We are hoping that Folashade will give approval for the proper opening of the place because it was forcefully opened by angry traders.”
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