By Oluwatosin Maliki
The Ogun State Government has began demolishing shanties along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, following a 21-day ultimatum issued to street vendor to vacate the area.
This recent development, as sparked fear in the minds of residents and shop owners in the Kara area, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, who expressed their fears over the rate of insecurity on the expressway, adding that the recent move by the government to destroy shanties would further increase crime.
Quest Times gathered that the place was looking deserted and was littered with broken building materials, as it is gradually turning into an eyesore for commuters and residents.
According to some residents, they did not receive any warning notice from the government, while stressing that they recently paid N12,000 for the buildings and shops to state government agents.
Also, they claimed that the rate of insecurity had reduced, stating that the change was because the hoodlums in the area had a place to live prior to the demolition.
It was learnt that the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment, Farook Akintunde, said that the exercise was conducted following the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum previously issued to the street vendors to vacate the area.
While lamenting, a shop owner identified as Funmi, explained that some individuals had been rendered homeless as a result of the demolition.
She stated, “I packed my loads away from there before they demolished the shops. There were so many shops that were damaged and some of them had nowhere to go. Some of them kept pleading with the government to just allow them to pack their belongings but they refused. The main people rendered homeless are the Hausa people but a majority of the Yoruba’s shops were also destroyed”.
Meanwhile, the Baale of River Valley in Berger, identified as Baba Esan, pointed out the effect of the demolition, as he says this may lead to an increase in robbery and insecurity along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as was witnessed previously.
He said, “There were never homes here; the houses some people built can be considered as illegal. The government did not do so well because they just destroyed the place without considering the people who were staying there”.
“One negative impact of displacing the people and shop owners is that the rate of insecurity will increase. Some people stay beside the bridge by 8pm instead of them roaming the street and committing all manner of crime. All those thieves are bound to return back to the expressway”.
“In the next two months, the expressway might become something else. In the next three months, all these places will turn into bushes and the government will just keep lying that they cleared the demolished areas with millions of naira. We do not have a good government in Nigeria,” he added.
Similarly, another trader, simply called Olayemi, said, “We recently paid ‘permit’ to the government agents but they still demolished all these places. Traders here pay at least N12,000 in a year just to secure their goods.”
Rotimi Oduniyi, the Press Officer, Ministry of Environment, noted that the state government’s effort is geared towards cleaning the entire area, so that people could feel relaxed, saying that the demolition would reduce the insecurity in those areas.
Oduniyi said, “Those buildings are constructed illegally. The government is not being wicked to them. Those places are not markets and shanties. No serious government will overlook the mess they created. It is about them going to a proper place instead of turning those places into toilets. The fact that they are there also posed a security challenge to the residents in that area. The state government will clean the entire area so that people can feel relaxed when passing those areas,” he concluded.