Lagos State Government on Monday issued a quit notice to all
the traders with containerized stores and other forms of stalls at Oke Arin
Market at Ebute -Ero under parts of the Eko Bridge recently gutted by fire to
relocate with immediate effect.
The State Government in a statement signed by the Commissioner for the
Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello asked all the traders under the
Bridge including those not affected by the fire incident of last Sunday to move
from the present location.
He added that also affected are people with different structures under the EKO
Bridge who engage in one form of selling activity or the other.
The statement added that the State Government cannot fold its hands and watch
the lives of majority of the residents exposed to avoidable dangers, stressing
that the continuation of trading activities by the traders is putting the
integrity of the Eko Bridge at risk.
Bello added that all the traders and those who have erected different types of
shanties under the Eko Bridge must find alternative places to trade as the
state Government will soon erect a fence round the whole area.
He said the continuation of trading activities under the Eko Bridge will affect
the Bridge and the possibility of endangering the lives of several thousands
who make use of the bridge daily.
He informed that towards this end, the State Government has directed the
Security agencies to monitor the immediate relocation of all traders from the
present location under the bridge and also ensure that no one is allowed to
continue with trading activities under any guise under the Eko Bridge anymore.
He also advised the Local Government authorities to desist from granting permit
to anyone to trade or erect any form of structures under the EKO bridge or its
environs because such unbridled activities is always counter-productive.
He recalled that activities of people who trade under some structures
especially bridges in the state in the past have resulted in incalculable
damages to such structures, warning that such excesses would no longer be
tolerated.