The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has issued a two-day ultimatum to traders to clear the train tracks of their merchandise.
The governor warned that traders who refuse to leave after the deadline will have their goods confiscated.
While inspecting the Red Line rail project on Wednesday, Governor Sanwo-Olu visited the Agege station and addressed the traders who were selling their goods on the train tracks. He expressed his displeasure at the trading activities and stressed that the facility was built for transportation, not trading.
The governor also said that walls would be built around the tracks to stop people and traders from getting onto them.
“It is a government road, that’s why the government built everything here. It is for transportation, not a market. It is not for the market, and I am saying it loud and clear now.
“I have given you two days’ notice. Those selling chickens, we will be here to pack everything this coming week. You cannot stay here to sell your goods. It is not possible. That’s why I came by myself. It is not possible.
“As a government, we can’t spend a lot of money building this type of facility and not use it for its intended purpose,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He also said that the government is committed to preventing any deaths on the train tracks, saying “When trains begin operations here, they will be plying these tracks every five minutes. I don’t want any incident of death here. And I will block the other market so that there will be no passage to this place anymore.”
The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, accompanied by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and the Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Abimbola Akinajo, inspected the Red Line rail project on Wednesday, September 28, 2023.