14th May, 2018
*As Developer vows to complete first phase in 3 months
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Stakeholders in the redevelopment of the N2 billion popular Ile-Epo Market in Abule Egba area of Lagos have said that the rebuilding of the market will complement the Lagos State Government’s smart city dream.
The market, which has been in dilapidated state was demolished recent for reconstruction. The developer is Total Value Integrated Limited.
Speaking during an inspection of the market on Monday, the Secretary to the Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area, Alhaja Gbemisola Ayilara said the redevelopment of the market would surely complement the smart city dream of the Lagos State Government.
She said the council had been making frantic effort to relocate the traders selling on roads in the area into the alternative market provided for trading pending the completion of the project, adding that the council was currently compiling list of original allottees of the old market in a bid to give them preference when the new market was completed.
Managing Director, Total Value Integrated Limited, Chris Onyekachi said the developer and the council had been trying to ensure that most of the traders outside were relocated to the alternative market.
He said the first phase of the redevelopment of the market would be completed within three or four months, adding that construction work would begin anytime from now.
Onyekachi said the market, on completion would be affordable for the traders, reiterating that the original allottees would be taken care of first before others, adding that most of the traders had been submitting their allocation papers to the council for verification.
He appealed to traders still outside the alternative market to relocate inside, assuring that they would be cater for after completion of the market.
Chairman, Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA, Augustine Arogundade said the traders would be resettled in the alternative market first before construction would begin, saying that the council did not want traders to be on the street.
“As soon as all traders have been resettled, we will start work. We want to accelerate the development of the market and we have been meeting with the stakeholders to ensure everything goes on smoothly,” he said.
According to him, the council had set up a committee headed by the Secretary to the Local Government to ensure that the problems facing the traders were tackled as the committee visited the market on daily basis.