Since the advent of the former governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola, a couple of state projects has led to the displacement of residents and markets, in a bid to create a “Mega City”.

The present governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has continued with this trend and the Mile 12 market is the latest ‘victim’ of the mega city plan.

The intention is to send the traders packing from the space they have occupied even before the writer of this piece was born. However, the governor has begun work on a site where the traders would be moved to – Imota.

YNaija and her sister company, YMonitor visited the market on November 23, 2017, to speak with some traders and literally none of the people we met agreed to such movement.

A trader, who agreed to speak, but refused to show her face said the road leading to Imota was inaccessible.

She also asked, “why now, after all these years?”.

“The government should please consider us. We have nowhere to go. Imota is too far.”

She then went to say that Lagos would eventually lose the place, as Northerners who are the major suppliers of the goods sold at the largest perishable food market in West Africa will stay at a place like Ogere, Ogun.

Another trader said the government should consider the old women who come from far places and have to spend a lot of money on transport alone.

While another trader talked about the relationship they had built in that locality and starting all over would be a Herculean task.

Yet another said, “there is nothing I can say. The government can do anything they like. I leave it to God” – coming from someone who has been trading in the market for years.

Watch other reactions below:

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram