Why goment wan demolish some buildings for Alaba International Market?

Lagos state goment don announce say dem go demolish about 17 “distressed” buildings for Alaba International Market for Ojo Local Goment area of di state.

Di General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki announce di planned demolition wen e visit di market wey be one of di busiest markets for Nigeria largest commercial capital on Friday.

Oga Oki say dem don mark di buildings for demolition since as far back as 2016 and im visit na to issue final warnings and vacation notices to occupants of di buildings.

Dis report don make Alaba dey trend for Nigeria social media space.

Alaba International market na ogbonge electronics market wey dey located for Ojo, Lagos State, Nigeria.

A huge number of pipo from di eastern part of Nigeria - di Igbos dey also do business for dia.

Di 2023 govnorship election for di state, see reports of voter intimidation and violence against non Lagos indigenes.

Di tori of di demolition again don bring up tori about di real motive behind am but goment deny say dem dey target anybody.

'We don dey issue dem warning since 2016' - LASBCA

For inside statement, di General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki say dem don dey issue di occupants of di affected buildings quit notice since as far back as 2016, 2020, 2022 and several others issued to dis year, 2023.

Oga Oki say seven years notification dey enough for occupants of di buildings wey dey marked for demolition to park comot but instead make dem vacate di structures, dem go always dey harass dia officials.

“Dis buildings wey dey marked within dis Alaba International Market suppose dey included for di list of 349 concerned buildings earlier published for different national newspapers dis year but because di occupants dey always harass our officers, e bin dey impossible to capture di details of di structures and include dem for di publication.

“Wetin we do now na joint exercise wey both di Lagos Task Force officers and di demolition gang of Lagos State Building Control Agency carry out. We go demolish di buildings.

“Di demolition of di distressed buildings within di Alaba International Market don become very crucial and timely considering di danger di buildings pose to oda adjoining structures plus di lives of businessmen and women within di market.” Di GM tok.

E add say goment go continue to place importance on di lives of residents of di state regardless of dia locations as di life of a Lagosian dey of greater value and dem no fit trade am for financial gains or profits.

'We no receive any warning from goment' - Alaba market union

Di tok tok pesin for Alaba International Market Traders Association Theo Ezeani tell BBC Igbo say dis na di first time im and di market leaders go hear say goment issue quit notice to di buildings since 2016.

“Di goment actually don mark some buildings for demolition and dem say dem don issue notice since 2016, which as di current PRO, I no dey aware of such documents and we no ever discuss am for di executive council meetings.

"Na wen I dey watch di world news on TVC yesterday night I hear wen di goment tok say dem don dey warn pipo for those buildings since 2016, but we, di market leaders, no dey aware before now, and we neva discuss sometin like dat for our executive meetings, maybe na di owners of di buildings receive di letters.

"E don tey wen I join leaders of di 'union', I neva hear of any document. Our leaders wey don dey power before no tok of dis kain tin."

Oga Ezeani tok say im hear say na di owners of di houses goment issue di warning letter give, but di letter no reach dem wey be di main traders.

E add say traders don begin move dia goods from di market as goment say di demolition go start on Monday, 19 June.

Alaba International Market dey considered to be di largest electronics market for West Africa.

Dem dey import thousands of electronic products wey include TVs, radios and computers into di market daily and na from dia dem go distribute am go oda Nigerian markets.