Unlock Your Shops Or Forfeit Them To The Government – Fayose Tells Shop Owners (Photos)

Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has said shop owners at Agric Olope market who fail to make use of such properties within the next 30 days will forfeit it to the state government. The governor made the statement during a visit to traders in the market on Tuesday.
The governor had about a year ago directed traders at Oja Oba(King’s Market) to relocate to either Awedele or Agric Olope market so as to give room for completion of the ultra modern market without traders having to result to roadside trading.
Mrs. Adesola Ogunsuyi who spoke on behalf of the traders expressed appreciation for the government’s directive that all roadside traders should move to either Awedele or Agric Olope, she used the opportunity of the governor’s visit to highlight the challenges faced by the traders amongst which are erosion, bad road and poor water supply.
Ogunsuyi lamented a situation whereby shop owners in the market refused to make the properties available for traders who indicated interest in renting them. She thanked the governor for his support and called on the government to enforce restriction on road side trading within the Oja Oba axis of the city.
“You have been trying for us, the waste management people have been trying, we want you to assist us the more, those who are at the city centre are taking advantage of us, they are the only ones making sales, those of us here are suffering, we will be so happy if you can help us fix the anomaly”, she stressed.
Governor Ayodele Fayose in his response thanked the traders for obeying his order promising to ensure he makes the market a comfortable place for buying and selling.
He said; “I want to tell you something today and mark my words, in the next one month, shops whose owners fail to make available for use will be taken over by the government.
“We can’t make this place available and some people will lock it up and go away with the keys, if the owners fail to make use of it within the next 30 days, the government will take over it and pay the owners when the money for rentage is remitted to the government. Secondly, I will have another meeting with the task force as well as those selling on the roadside in town and make them see reasons they should come here”.
Addressing the challenges being faced by the traders in the market, governor Fayose said: “I will work on this place to make it comfortable. I will put a borehole to take care of the water issue, I will work on patching the road too, whatever I need to do to make people comfortable, I will do”.