The executives and traders of the Block B Section of the Ayangbure Market, popularly known as Sabo market, on Friday, May 4, 2017, organized a modest and brief thanksgiving session to commemorate one year anniversary of the unlawful demolition of their shops and stalls by some military men.
The traders gathered at the frontage of the shop of their chairman where they offered prayers and various praise songs in Christianity and Islamic ways to thank God for keeping them alive and making them to survive and overcome the shock and loss they suffered when a bulldozer was brought into the market in the wee hours of May 4, 2017, by some unknown persons and demolished more than 700 shops and stalls with goods worth several billions of naira due to the disagreement they had with some people who had vested interest in the redevelopment of the section.
The traders, who were full of joy for being alive in good health to witness the celebration, also recounted their respective experiences of the sad incident which most of them described as the saddest day of their life.
The chairman of the section, Mr. Patrick Nwabuisi (Ultimate) who himself lost about four shops to the demolition, while addressing the gathering thanked God for keeping him and other victims of the demolition alive to commemorate a year anniversary of the unfortunate incident and also for repossessing their shops after the redevelopment of the section.
He also expressed his gratitude to God for vindicating him and other exco members in their efforts to ensure that the demolished shops were redeveloped and reallocated to the victims at a more affordable price despite the opposition by some people within and outside the market.
Mr. Nwabuisi particularly lauded the role played by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in ensuring that their interests were well protected in the redevelopment plans for the demolished shops, stating that the governor was the reason they were having a joyful remembrance of the demolition incident.
He stated that the entire traders in Block B Section have unanimously resolved to repay Governor Ambode’s gesture by massively supporting his re-election with their votes in the 2019 General Elections.
Mr. Nwabuisi added that he has personally been mobilizing the traders especially those who have not obtained their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) by encouraging them to go and get the card so that they can all vote for the governor in appreciation of his support for them during the demolition saga.
While appreciating the traders for their support for him and other exco members in their efforts to ensure that the redevelopment of the section favours them, he urged them to maintain peace and also seek peaceful resolution to any issue affecting them in the market instead of joining forces with the antagonists to disrupt the peace of the market.
The chairman equally thanked Oba Kabiru Shotobi, Ayangbure of Ikorodu, and other eminent people for sympathizing with them over the demolition and ensuring that the shops were rebuilt and handed over to them.
He also commended the Publisher of Oriwu Sun, Alhaji Monzor Olowosago and his Paper for the objective reportage of the incident and support. He prayed that the paper would continue to wax stronger.
While speaking on the compensation that was proposed for the victims of the demolition, Mr. Nwabuisi said that they have not received any positive response despite submitting the list of the victims to the management of Ikorodu Local Government but stated that he would ask their lawyer to write the council over the issue again.
On several allegations levelled against him and other executives over the redevelopment of the shops and other issues, he said those allegations lack merit and maintained that his regime would continue to stand by the truth and defend the interest of the traders in the section irrespective of the falsehood being peddled around.
While recounting her own experience, Iyafin Mistura Adeyeye, an executive member of the section, said the demolition would remain unforgetful in her memory due to the pains and loss she and other traders suffered.
She explained that the incident caught them unaware because they were at the Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa the previous day to lodge a complaint against the council on its plan to demolish their shops and were assured by the state government that their shops would not be demolished only to be woken up the following morning with the sad news that their shops had been demolished overnight by some people who remain unknown till today.
Iyafin Adeyeye said the incident is now in the past as their tears have been wiped off by Governor Ambode who according to her, ensured that the shops were reconstructed in a record of time and re-allocated to them.
“Today, we are very happy because almost all of us affected by the demolition have been re-allocated our shops at affordable price immediately the shops were redeveloped.
“We thank God for giving us a listening and compassionate leader like Governor Ambode who ensured that we did not suffer for long before rebuilding the shops for us. We equally thank Oba Kabir Shotobi and other people who stood by us and ensured that the injustice done to us did not go in vain.
“We are also grateful to God for granting us the patience and endurance to bear the unfortunate incident because if we had over reacted due to the massive loss suffered, we may probably have committed suicide or hurt ourselves and we would either not be alive or be in good condition to witness today’s celebration,” she said.
Iyafin Adeyeye also lauded Oriwu Sun Newspaper and its Publisher for given the demolition a wider coverage and also for serving as a credible medium through which their agitations and plight over the demolition were conveyed to the governor and other appropriate quarters.
Another victim, Mrs. Omolola Ogunneye, popularly called ‘Indomie’, while relieving her own experience, described May 4, 2017, as her saddest moment in life due to the loss she incurred which she said was close to a million naira.
She recounted that she had just restocked her shop with the loan she took from a bank when her shop was demolished and that she was unable to retrieve anything.
Mrs. Ogunneye, however, thanked God that she was able to survive the loss inflicted on her by the demolition while also commending her husband and senior wife for supporting her and ensured that she got back on her feet.
She also expressed her joy over her ability to repay her loan, repossess her shop as well as the progress her business is currently witnessing.
A male Edible oil seller who lost goods worth over four million naira to the demolition, Mr. Akinbiyi Adesuyi, while narrating his own experience described the incident as a very said experience but, however, thanked God for making him to survive the loss and shock suffered.
He explained that, though he was yet to recover fully from the loss, the redevelopment of the shops due to the timely intervention of Governor Ambode has helped in healing his wounds and also gave him a hope of recovering his losses.
Mr. Adesuyi encouraged his fellow victims to remain focus and not to allow the losses suffered to prevent them from continuing their businesses.
Another male victim, Mr. Nelson Obi who also sells edible oil, said the incident was very unfortunate because he lost the entire wares in his shop to the unlawful demolition.
While stating that he had already stopped thinking about the incident and the loss he suffered because there is nothing he could do about them, he expressed joy over his ability to reposess his shop and also thanked Governor Ambode for his support to them during the incident.
Mr. Obi re-echoed the resolve of traders at the Block B Section to vote enmasse for Governor Ambode in 2019 as a way of appreciating his support for them.
Also, Chief Mojeed Laketu, the Balogun Oja of Ayangbure Market, in his own remark commended the traders for their patience and endurance in the face of the huge losses they suffered in the demolition.
He equally congratulated them for repossessing their shops after the redevelopment and urged them to take proper care of the shops and also maintain peace in the market.