Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday approved the immediate re-opening of Mile 12 Market which was shut following a violent clash which led to loss of lives and property.
The Governor, in a statement by the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said the decision to re-open the market followed satisfactory meeting and agreement reached with all the stakeholders involved in the operation of the Mile 12 Market.
Ayorinde added that the re-opening was also as a result of the outcome of the stakeholders meeting held between the Market Men/Women, traditional leaders in the Agiliti and Maidan communities, residents and Community Development Association (CDA).
The Commissioner said as part of measures aimed at bringing sanity into the market, the government and the market leaders have agreed that henceforth, all activities relating to the market shall be confined within the market area, and that street trading would no longer be allowed in the area. The Commissioner added that it was further agreed trading activities in the market would henceforth be carried out in a clean and hygienic environment.
According to Ayorinde, other major agreements arrived with a consensus amongst the various stakeholders include: “Relocation of the Market to another suitable location as the existing market can no longer contain the traders; ban on the use of Commercial Motorcycles (Okada Riders) in the area; peaceful co-existence amongst all ethnic groups in the Market and environs; and removal of all shanties and illegal attachments/structures within the Market area.”
Ayorinde further said that the stakeholders agreed that it is only in an atmosphere of peace and co-existence that their various business and trade can thrive. He assured that Lagos is a home for all, and the State Government will continue to provide the enabling environment for every investor to thrive, as the promise of the Governor to run a 24/7 economy is sacrosanct.
Governor Ambode had shut the market on March 3, 2016, after a clash between residents and Okada operators in the Mile 12 area.