Ibadan traders lament losses after demolition of stalls at Tollgates

TRADERS around Ibadan end of the Toll Gate of the Lagos /Ibadan Experssway are still in shock, counting their losses as their shops were destroyed by the Oyo State Environmental Tasks Force, recently.The traders lamented that the Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, should have provided a temporary place for them to stay instead of leaving them to their fate, when he ordered the demolition of their shops.According to Mrs Ronke Adesina, a food seller, ''this act they have embarked upon is not only wicked, but also callous. This place is where we eke a living; we send our children to school and pay rents through the meagre sales we make from our business. Now, they have demolished all our shops, without providing an alternative place to stay.''Another trader, Mrs Olorunkemi Afolabi, a bread seller, noted: ''It is so unfair; this shouldn't be happening to us. Where do we go from here' How do they expect us to feed' Ajimobi claims he is doing all he can to alleviate poverty, but this action he took is even promoting more poverty. You cannot be sanitising the state at the expense of other people's welfare.'Also, Mr Akeem Adeniyi, another victim, said 'although the intention could be good but, they should have provided a more safe and comfortable place for us to stay. I learnt that they embarked on the demolition because they wanted to make the road six lanes. But the existing ones are still in a dillapidated state, they should repair the existing ones before constructing new ones.
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