These shops are badly built
JOSEPH OGBONNA, Foodstuff’s Dealers, Sabo: The shops are okay, but the price they are putting on the shops is too high. It is a new development here, but I think it is a good one. The price range of those shops are between N1.5 million to N3 million. They have just released my shop key. The way they build the shops now is very bad; I would have to remove the door and change it before I can do anything here. I will have to spend close to sixty to seventy thousand naira on this shop before I will put my goods inside the shop.
We are suffering
MRS. GLORY EMMANUEL, Foodstuff Dealer: Last year November, the local government called us that they wanted to develop these shops. The developer said that they wanted to start work immediately and they asked us to be paying six hundred thousand naira (N600,000) per shop installmentally after the construction. They came here yesterday to scatter all my goods and locked my shop. I asked why they did that since I had made half payment. I paid two hundred thousand naira out of the money. The situation in Sabo now is not okay by me at all. I will be happy if the state government can assist us. People are suffering; the local government or even the Oba should assist us; at least, we have been here for many years.
I’ve paid N500,000
MRS. JOBI AYODELE, First Iya Oloja of Ikorodu: The developers called us about three (3) months ago and told us that they wanted to develop this place. The local government collected the money for the rentage of three (3) shops instead of one shop and we paid for three (3). After that one, they asked us to pay six hundred thousand naira. After we paid six hundred thousand naira (N600,000) or half of it, each shop owner still have to leave the shop. I have paid five hundred thousand naira (N500,000) out of the money to the developer, and it remains just one hundred thousand naira but I have not been given the key. At times, they collect the shop from one person and rent it to another person, who is ready to pay huge money.
I don’t want developer here
EMEKA UDECHUKWU, Foodstuff Dealer: I don’t want the developers to come here because of the high price they demand. How much are the goods inside my shop? If they come now, they will ask us to pay the sum of three hundred thousand (N300,000) Naira; where will I get that amount from? I don’t think even Iya Oloja is capable of doing something about it.
The shops are expensive
MOHAMMED ZAWAH, Foodstuff Dealer: The new development going on in this market is very good, but the money for the shops are exhorbitant. It is not good at all. I personally bought this land, on which I built my shop and I bought it at the rate which I can no longer remember because it has been a while since I bought the land. And I built this shop myself and that is what other people did around here. They buy a land and build their shop themselves, and that would not bring embarrassment from any developer.
Iyaloja is trying
MRS HADIJAT OMAI OLORI, Pepper Grinder: What I just want to say is that Iyaloja is really trying. It is in the hands of the developer and Iyaloja herself. Iyaloja should take a firm stand about the whole issue because it is whatever she wants in her market that the developer will do. If they build this market, it will be for our own good, but wherever they build it, they should please help us reduce the price. And whenever they finish building the shops, they should not use sentiment in allocating shops because of the huge money involved. When they use sentiment, then there will be war.
Please, have mercy on us
MRS. CHRISTIANA OLUFUNMILAYO AKINYEMI, Selling Kitchen Utensils: What I just have to say is that we have been here for a very long time, and we have been struggling and enduring. Later, they told us that they want to build modern shops, which we all agreed. But the point there is that the money they are placing on the shops is too much.
Why should we be renting shops at three million Naira and we have children to cater for.
In the past, we rented shops at lower prices. The government needs to assist us and not inflict suffering on us. We are also human beings like them and they had already demolished some of our shops here but we reconstructed them. They should have mercy on us because the money is too much.
The cost is high
PASTOR OGUNLADE, Selling Nylon: The issue of development in this market is a good thing. There is nothing bad in building modern shops but the price of the shop is too high. The money they are demanding from us is too much. We already have people that are ready to rebuild this shops for us at a lesser cost.
We all had a meeting with our own developer and he told us the steps we would take concerning the payment of the money. We have already told Oba Shotobi about it, but I know they won’t want to give him the contract.
Please, consider the pioneers in Sabo market
REVEREND MUSIBAU BABATUNDE AWODEHINDE: My mother is the founder, including my senior cousin Justice Bayo Adeniyi. She is at home now. Some people can’t just think that they can improve on the beauty and the expansion of commerce in the market and start treating people as if money is cheap to get. I am not saying the development is not good because Nigeria is developing.
Sincerely, the present Iyaloja Alhaja Allison is tyring her best I know her very well and also visit her at home, where we dialogue, and rub minds together, but what I am driving at is that the people selling petty-petty things like locust beans, ground pepper, fish and so on, you have to give them preference.
Although, the cost of building materials increase by the day, but then, they should be lenient and be considerate. Myself and Alhaji Monzor Olowosago have spoken several times concerning this issue as well as the king’s wife, Olori Muibat. They have done well but they should think about us, who are the pioneers in this market.