*Inaugurates market sanitation task force
In order to further ease task of doing business as well as eradicate street trading with attendant hazards, Lagos State Government in collaboration with an organisation, has launched and distributed corners shops to some roadside traders at Central Business Districts, CBD, Lagos Island, even as it called on other corporate organizations, individuals to partner with it in the elimination of the menace.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business District, Mr. Agboola Dabiri, who made the remarks during the distribution of the 30 shops to beneficiaries of the pilot scheme at Onikan Lagos, yesterday, explained that the initiative was part of efforts at eradicating street trading within Lagos CBD.
Dabiri, who commended the company, Mikano, for the gesture in living up to their social corporate responsibility, warned traders who display wares on the roads and walkways to desist henceforth.
He said, “Lagos State Government has now provided an alternative to selling on the streets and walkways in the area and will not tolerant the continuous display of wares on streets and walkways any longer”.
The Special Adviser said further that with zero tolerance, the introduction of corner shops in strategic locations on the Island will eradicate street trading in the axis.
Agboola reiterated that while the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is committed to fast tracking the vision of turning the state to an enviable mega city and a role model to other state, it is pertinent that the vision would not be achieved by depriving people of their daily means of surviving by the action of street traders with its attendant risk to human life and dirty environment.
He said the replacement of street traders with modern corner shops will be a trade booster to the central business district and also ensure constant clean environment. Dabiri therefore, called on other companies operating in Lagos to emulate the gesture of the company in complementing government in the provision of developmental facilities.
According to him, “You will all agree with me that Central Business District is a world on its own and managing it is a huge task which government alone cannot handle.”
“Millions of people troop daily to Lagos Island CBD to transact various businesses and most corporate organizations have their headquarters located on the Lagos Island which therefore means that free flow of traffic must be ensured at all times,” Dabiri noted.
While congratulating the beneficiaries of the shops, he urged them to use the shops judiciously in line with laid down rules and regulation.
Meanwhile, the CBD market sanitation task force has also been inaugurated. Introducing the sanitation task force at Onikan, Dabiri said the market sanitation task force was created to ensure a cleaner market environment across the Lagos Island business districts. He explained that the introduction of CBD market sanitation task force which is in line with the cleaner Lagos Initiative recently launched by the State Government, will be held responsible for any market that is found to be dirty within the CBD.
*Vanguard