RETURNING SANITY TO OSHODI (1)

The Owonifari electronic market was demolished partly to rid Lagos of crime, argues George Chigozie

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State is gradually and assuredly stamping his identity on the governance of the state. His government recently took an earth-shaking step by demolishing the iconic Owonifari Market in the Oshodi area of Lagos. The Owonifari Market, an electrical and electronic shopping outlet in the main, had been in the area for about 40 years.

On a Wednesday morning, Ambode, accompanied by some key officials of the government, reportedly led the demolition team. The state government had earlier shut down the marketplace due to what it called security concerns. The government claimed that the market constituted security threats to the residents of the state.

The government released a statement indicating that it planned to build an “ultra-modern” bus terminal with new bus shelters where the market previously stood. It also announced that the traders and shop owners affected by the demolition would be relocated to the new Isopakodowo Market and Arena Shopping Complex both within the Oshodi axis.

The demolition has since been generating much hue and cry. Ethnic colouration and political undertone have also been imputed to the development. A statement released by the South-East for Democracy Campaign (CD) chairman, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, claimed that the demolition was targeted at Igbo traders.

The statement read thus: “The demolition of Owonifari Market was targeted against over 5,240 Igbo traders. We condemn in totality, the midnight and heartless demolition of Oshodi Market which housed over 7,000 traders, majority of who are Igbo who make their living from the market.”

The statement estimated that goods worth N1billion belonging to the Igbo traders were destroyed during the exercise. Uzor called on the Lagos State government to pay compensation to those who lost their shops to the demolition as well as publicly apologise to Ndigbo for the action.

His statement read further: “The most painful aspect was the inability of the traders to remove their goods where they lost over N1 billion. The destruction of the market can be linked to the last governorship election where it was believed that Igbo supported a PDP candidate as a result of fielding and adopting Igbo in different political posts during the last election.”

Another group, the youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, also decried that the demolition of the Oshodi market was in bad faith and targeted at the Ndigbo doing business in the state.

In a statement by the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group alleged that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode deliberately ordered the demolition of the Oshodi market, largely occupied by Ndigbo, in the first week of the New Year, when he knew that Igbo shop owners were yet to return from the Christmas and New Year festivities.

The group said Ambode, by his actions, had drawn a battle line between himself and Ndigbo, whose people suffered huge losses in the demolition exercise. The group averred: “It is instructive to observe here that contrary to all principles of common justice, the traders were merely given few days quit notice. It is equally shocking that the government chose such a wrong time for the demolition exercise, thereby not only taking the shops away from them, but also allowing their wares to be looted.

“We are forced to ask: Could this be the starting point in implementing Oba of Lagos’ earlier threat during the election period that Ndigbo would be thrown into the Lagoon? Could it be another round of deportation exercise, similar to what former Governor Babatunde Fashola did in repatriating Ndigbo? “It is inhumane for people’s livelihood to be taken away from them in such a brazen manner. The government’s claim that arms were recovered from a section of the market does not fly here because it cannot be a reason for such a wicked treatment purely targeted at a particular people.”

The youth group insisted that the Lagos State government’s action was a threat to the unity of the country and demanded adequate compensation for the traders who had suffered great losses in the demolition.

“We demand that the governor of Lagos State should direct relevant government agencies to adequately compensate these traders as anything short of that, Ndigbo will henceforth, consider Ambode, as their arch-enemy number one.”

In a similar statement, a former President General of Onitsha Markets Amalgamated Traders Association, OMATA, Chief Ozoh Anakwe, blamed the Lagos State governor for the loss the traders suffered following the demolition of the market.

He said: “The destruction of the goods belonging to Oshodi traders, who are mostly Igbo was another way of chasing the Igbo into the Lagoon, like one of their Oba’s threatened during the electioneering campaign for this same governor that carried this inhuman and wicked act against traders

“The Lagos State governor was on vendetta mission with the demolition of the market. He does not like Igbo people, he feels they did not vote for him and if you check the local government area the market is located, you will find out that All Progressives Congress, APC, lost there during the governorship and presidential elections, so the demolition did not come as a surprise to us.”

Anakwe urged the traders to pay the governor back with their votes when he will come out for re-election for second tenure. He added that going to court may not favour the traders “because the politicians have their ways in manipulating the courts to favour them, but it was good for them to drag the Lagos State governor and government to court for willful damage to their goods, at least for it to be on record.”

He declared: “We know APC government does not obey court orders, they do not care about due process of the law, they are not moved by protest, and therefore, the best option is to use their votes to chase the governor out of seat when he comes out for re-election.”

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the market, Obinna Nwosu who is of Igbo extraction, claimed that the government did not issue any prior notice of demolition to them” except oral messages that they were coming.” . He said all they had was a seal order. He asked: “Does a seal order look like a quit notice? They assured us everything was going to be settled and that was the reason most of us returned our goods. “He also claimed that there was a court injunction that the government should not disturb the traders in the market. He said in the course of renovation in 1999 when the market got burnt, the traders voluntarily re-built the market with N750 million and every shop was decked.

However, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mrs Nkechi Chukwueke said the demolition was not targeted at any particular tribe, especially the Igbo. Chukwueke, who served as special assistant on Women Ethnic Group Mobilisation/Empowerment to the former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, said not only Igbo but traders from other ethnic groups were also affected in the exercise. She stated that the exercise “was carried out in good faith and in accordance with the rule of law.” She commended the state government for making the bold move, adding “I have told a lot of my people from the East that the exercise was carried out in good faith by the state government to rid Lagos of crime, restore sanity to the area and ensure the master plan of Lagos State is not tampered with. From facts available, the state government gave enough notice to these traders and even provided alternative market for them to relocate to but many of them refused to go because they believe they won’t make much sales if they go to the new place.

Chigozie wrote from Lagos