Owode-Academy traders seek govt's help

Traders at the Owode-Academy market in Ibadan South East Local Government Area of Oyo State, have appealed to the state government to help rehabilitate and upgrade the popular market to a modern one, saying the present state of the market is an eyesore and does not befit its status.The market which was established in 1984 and first of its kind in the Ibadan South East Local Government Area of Oyo State, has not enjoyed any rehabilitation or modern touch since then.Commenting about the decaying status of the Owode-Academy market, the head of traders in the market, Alhaji M Kobomoje explained that though, the market was established with the aim of improving the socio- economic status of the community, but the long time neglect of the market in terms of provision of essential amenities has contributed to the delapidation/continous decay of the market in recent times.'I am one of the founders of this market which was established in 1984. We used our individual resources to build all the shops. We also provided toilets in the market. But since then, the market has been neglected in terms of physical infrastructure. The sad thing about the whole scenario is that one organ of the state government is collecting levy from traders using the toilet without using part of the money to develop or maintain structures in the market,' he said.Alhaji Kobomoje further explained to Community News that 'there was a time the state government moved some traders from Owode-Academy market to Orita-Merin market for an undisclosed reason. But since then, there has not been any progress or development in the market and this is having a toll effect on the traders.'The market leader, however, appealed to Oyo State government to move traders who do not have shops but were displaying their goods on the roads to Owode-Academy market, stressing that there were enough spaces in the market to accommodate road side traders.Also speaking on the issue, another trader and market leader, Alhaji Bioku Iwalesin said, 'we have many block shops at Owode-Academy market that could accommodate all those road side traders in other markets.'We have many of such traders in markets like Oja-Oba, Beere, Orita-Merin, Oje, Ogunpa and many others. Government should make use of vacant block shops in Owode-Academy and those traders whose shops have been marked for demolition due to illegal space they were occupying are encouraged to come to Owode-Academy market to take spaces,' he advised.
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