Yaba Market Shut Down Yesterday

Interview with Fashola

May 19, 2008


Q: Some people have commended you for the courage you showed in the things you have done. But your courage has also affected some people adversely. Specifically, your attempt to give Lagos a new face has meant the demolition of some structures, causing agony…


A: I think that in a democracy, in any organisational agglomeration of people, you cannot please everybody. That is why indeed, for you to emerge governor you don’t need everybody to vote for you. You only need the majority. This is about balancing interests. I have said it repeatedly that whatever decision we take, we will do so believing that it is of benefit to the majority of people. Yes, we took some decisions that hurt people. The question is: why do we take them? A beautiful Lagos, a new Lagos. Is that such a bad thing to aspire to? So if we all agreed that a beautiful and new Lagos we must have, it must come with some pains. Unfortunately so. To fail to do something is to lose Lagos. God forbids that. Many people forget that Lagos has no innate right to be Lagos, but must continue to position itself to remain Lagos. We have seen empires destroyed and lost. We have seen nations disappear from the surface of the earth; literally so. When I was a lot younger, Ibadan was more or less the commercial and administrative nerve centre of the whole South-West region. Twenty years ago, New York had lost its businesses, lost its allure to crime. It took Giuliani to restore it. Businesses were leaving the city in droves. So there is no inherent right to it; you must continue to work at it. The important thing is that those people who are displaced, those who are pained, will have their pains mitigated by trying to relocate them. I want to see a Lagos where there are no slums. For us to achieve that, we must first of all, move the people away from the slums, build the slums into liveable settlements. When you look at it today, if they did not displace people from Olowogbowo, we won’t have Eko Bridge. A significant number of people had to be moved so that millions can make use of the route. That is the tough decision, the difficult choice leaders must at one time or the other make. The important thing is to make them not for private benefit, but for public and collective good. It is a different thing if you are seeing me reclaim an area and giving it to my cousin or commissioner to open a shop.

What we are doing is, look, this can be beautiful, we can build a new centre here and we can plant green here which sustains life. Our life expectancy is below 50 and for those people who can afford overseas medical treatment it’s fine. But what about the vast majority who cannot? We have to clear the drains for them so that malaria won’t kill them. So if one rich person builds a house across that drainage channel and exposes the whole community to malaria and cholera, when the epidemic breaks out, TheNEWS will call me and say: ‘Governor, what are you doing?’ And in those your small columns, you will write: Governor Fashola, save us. You know the rest. So it’s a difficult choice.

If the people of Lagos say stop, we don’t want a new city, I will stop. It is not Fashola’s city, it’s our city.




Q: How much have you done in trying to reduce the pains?


A: We have done a lot. If you go to the people at Adeniji-Adele, all of those areas where they used to sell drums, we fenced them so that we could take some areas from there. We created a section for the young boys, who used to play football there. The Area Boys who were there, defecating in the place, are the people benefiting from the green. They are the labourers working there to earn a living and that is a huge benefit. We have created a new settlement for some of the drum sellers close to Owode Onirin. We are not just dumping them there. We are making it habitable so that they can operate from there. At the same time we have located three centres in each of the senatorial districts where we want to convert to industrial parks, with dedicated power for all the welders and the rest who were displaced from there. We are doing all that so they can practise their trade without hindrance. It is only in this country that you find people selling blocks by the road side. But we can organise it such that if you need blocks, you know where to go and get them. It is the same thing with furniture and other things. All we have to do is make the area good enough for them. It will be such that you work in a park and when you close, you take the BRT bus and go home. There is a lot of work in progress, we can’t finish it. But the important thing is that we have to start and show the right path.

We have looked at the damages that could arise in some cases where drainages have been blocked by buildings. And in some cases we have redefined drainage routes that cost a lot of money. We don’t want to devastate people. What it means is that wherever it is possible to take the alternative option, we do that. In some instances for example, there is a market by the walls of our housing estate in Agege that just sprang up. I asked them to demolish it. But the day they brought the demolition plan for approval, I approved it but put a condition that they should not implement it until we build a new market for them. That is why they are still there. Now, we have acquired a site and we are trying to put up a new market for them. We understand the pains of our people, the poverty and the need for them to trade. But with all of that, they will do more business and prosper more if the global economy is more prosperous. People must learn to realise that no country grows on the strength of its own resources alone. As we are sitting down here, millions of Nigerians and Lagosians are investing in property in New York and other places across the globe. We are contributing to the growth of those economies, we are travelling there on holidays, supporting their airlines, hotels and creating tourism business there. Why can’t they come here? The only way we can bring that growth here is first of all, to make our city attractive, make it beautiful to see, safe to live in, efficient for business to function. Ultimately, who are you selling goods to? Is it not the populace? We want to increase that population, invest in population so that businesses can grow.



Q: Talking about making Lagos a better place, I am inclined to ask you this question about Oshodi. A lot of people have given up on the place and it’s like the people who sell things by the road side and create traffic gridlock in Oshodi will never leave the place. As the Governor of Lagos State, what is your plan for that notorious place


A: I believe that if we can make traffic move in Oshodi, we would have solved almost half of the problem of Lagos West Senatorial District comprising Ikeja, Ilupeju, Mushin, Matori, Bolade, GRA and a host of others. Having closely studied where the problem is, we realised that the problem is on Agege Motor Road. The reason is that it is the link road between Ikeja, Agege and Yaba, Surulere, Lagos Island. That was the link between Lagos and the Western Region. That was the road to the Airport when I was a child and it was a well built road; three lanes on both sides and it was a major highway. It was as Lagos was expanding that they decided to build a by-pass, which is Ikorodu Road. It used to be called Ijebu Road. So if you were coming from Ikeja, from Agege, you just drove through Oshodi, Cappa, Challenge, Mushin and you were on your way to Lagos Island. That was the main road. We now built a by-pass and all of us abandoned the main road for a by-pass. So if I am coming from Agege to Idi Oro, instead of driving straight, the shortest distance, I will first of all go through Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way, all the way down to Jibowu, then reverse to Idi-Oro. In the process, you burn fuel, tires and all of us are choked. Once you are coming, nobody even thinks of Oshodi anymore because it is not passable. So the man who is going to Mushin must first come to Ikorodu Road which is supposed to be an inter-state road out of town. It now became an intra-city road. If we relieve that place, re-organise those who are trading there with a more formal arrangement, raise the level of the shops in the market to accommodate them, the road will be free. They want to do business and we want them to do business, but they must do it in a way that does not hurt other people. If you count the number of people who are trading there, at a very generous figure, let us say one million. The remaining 17 million of us are suffering because one million people want to trade. That cannot be democracy. Democracy recognises the respect of rights. Your right to trade stops where my right to freedom of movement begins. So we are trying to arrange those rights in a way that they don’t clash by defining the boundaries of duty.




Q: They generate a lot of refuse…


A: That is part of the problem. It’s not just the traffic, there is refuse, the dirty environment, all of which can be efficient. If all of these are in the market, properly organised, the refuse truck can come in and take the rubbish away. It even creates jobs because we can’t even syndicate people now to take the refuse. In most malls you visit in Europe and America, you find people whose duty it is to just pick litter. Once there is a market of three to four floors, you can assign people to each floor and as the places are being littered people are clearing them away to collection areas onward to disposal points.




Q: You think they will stay in that market?

A: They will. Why not?



Q: Because in the past, governments have built markets that these people refused to go…

A: I am talking of the future and I have given you some of the reasons for the problems in the past–no time to plan or implement.



Q: There is this saying that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. What has your administration done to empower these young people who otherwise would take to crime?

A: I do not believe that crime is the solution to hunger. But I accept that hunger is a major predisposition and that is why our security initiatives do not start and end with policing. Because at the time you are policing in any event, there is already a victim. We want to get to a situation where we can ensure that the number of victims is reduced as much as is humanly possible. We recognise the economic impact of security. That is why we have such a huge budget. That is the first thing because everything we do is directed at mitigating poverty. In the last 11 months we have been constructing all over the city and everywhere you go, you will find labourers being employed, keeping their staff strength, paying salaries. You will find other people like food vendors, water sellers being economically useful one way or the other. In those sites, there is a demand for iron rods, cement, sand and distributors of those products and other building materials are also benefiting. So the economy is moving because they are galvanising the economy. Our beautification programme is also creating jobs because so many graduates have now set up landscaping companies. While we are taking the big ones we are equally encouraging the small ones to learn horticulture. Go and take statistics of flower sellers and those who are cultivating seedlings and they will tell that there has never been this kind of prosperity. It’s a boom period for them and those are the real grassroots. The Area Boys are the ones also working at the beautification sites in Marina. They are working with the contractor. They first drove him away when he came. I went back there with him. If you go to Adeniji-Adele, they are the ones now maintaining and cleaning the place and are being trained how to nurture seedlings. We have built a small nursery there and some of the boys are in street-sweeping gangs and immediately any party ends in Onikan here, 9 or 10 pm, by the time you get there around midnight, it is all cleared. We are keeping everybody in his territory and you will work. They are collecting between N5,000 and N10,000 for different types of jobs. We are engaging professionals at various levels and our mortgage scheme has necessitated that property be valued and assessed and if you ask them they will tell you that this is a boom period for them. It is an economy that is on its way and it is taking shape and it can only get bigger and better.





http://thenewsng.com/cover-story/we%E2%80%99re-desperate-to-change-lagos-%E2%80%94fashola/2008/05

Tears as Aliero’s bulldozers crush Abuja town, Sabo-Lugbe

Saturday, 04 April 2009

http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/32782/152/

kindly go through my posts on this forum and tell me where I've said I have a problem with living in Nigeria.

While you're at it, learn to read posts in context, ok? I understand you're a rumor monger, but set your illiteracy aside for a moment and let's know what suggestions you have for decongesting Lagos. Everyday everyone is screaming about the open gutters, trash heaps, people defecating everywhere in public, and the only thing you're seeing in yuor tiny mind, is someone sharing the view that everyone should return to their roots.

Check the travel section and the internet for photos of the lagos gutters and slums I'm talking about, which people like you glory in and do their best to ensure they remain there forever, just so you can feel justified in your pathetic self hatred.

FYI- I dont have issues with my roots either and as far as I'm concerned, anywhere I find myself, I adapt.

Tears For Rail Line Occupiers In Lagos


Lagos — The importance of heeding timely warnings cannot be over-emphasised. On many occasions in the past, paying attention to such warnings had saved lives and property.

However, those that ignored such warnings have paid dearly for their disobedience, either with loss of property and sometimes loss of their lives.

For illegal occupants along railway corridors in Lagos State, ignoring timely warnings given by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to vacate rail line corridors has brought tears and anguish to them. The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) penultimate Friday began demolition of all illegal structures along railway corridors in Lagos State after several notices were issued. The exercise, which commenced at Iju in New Oko-Oba area of the state, affected churches, food and local gins joints, kiosks and some ramshackle structures among others.

As a result of the demolition exercise, many people living along the rail line corridors in Lagos State have been rendered homeless while others lost their means of livelihood.

The ongoing demolition exercise includes structures with Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) and Permanent Occupation Licence (POL) within the operational area along the rail line across the country.

It would be recalled that the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Ibrahim Bio, had during his nationwide tour of railway facilities, ordered that all illegal structures along rail corridors be removed throughout the country to paved the way for the rehabilitation of the nation's railway system.

The minister, who was visibly angry by the unattractive sights caused by the dilapidated nature of the structures and the danger they portend to train operations, directed the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation not to leave any stone unturned in the demolition exercise. The minister also appealed to all the concerned state governments to provide necessary assistance and security throughout the duration of the demolition exercise.

Shortly before the demolition exercise, Lagos Railway District Manager (RDM), John Dottie, told Daily Independent that since notices were issued to all illegal occupants in 2006 to vacate the rail lines, they stubbornly refused. He said government cannot allow illegal occupants to reside on the rail line corridors, stressing that the exercise would be thorough, extending to all the states of the federation.

"The exercise is in the best interest of the people, we cannot allow this to continue to happen and I want to assure Nigerians that the Nigerian Railway Corporations is prepared to ensure compliance with the directive of the Federal Government," he stated.

Dottie added that law enforcement agents and Man O War officials had been instructed not to molest or harass any of the illegal occupants. According to him, plans are underway to expand the railway tracks to four lines in line with the Lagos State government's arrangement to use NRC rail corridors for its light rail project.

The exercise, according to the district manager, would be carried out simultaneously in all the states which harbour railway corridors starting with Lagos.

He stated that NRC will be assisted by state governments to keep the entire track free of illegal structures all the time like the Lagos State government is doing presently.

He said the Federal Government, through paid advertisement and formal quit notices, informed the concerned owners of these structures of the intention to demolish the structures as required by the agreement signed.

Besides, Dottie further explained that for NRC to be able to accommodate the four lines in the railway corridors there was the need for all rights of way to be recovered hence the demolition exercise.

His words: "When the minister made this directive, we went further to pass the information to the occupants of the area and announced it on the radio stations; we even had meetings with all the traditional rulers in the affected areas, including Agbado, Agege, Ijora and Iju. We encouraged them to inform their people to vacate the rail line corridor.

"Everybody is happy with what is going on at Oshodi, and if we can succeed in doing that in Yaba and other places, then we can experience similar ease of traffic. We do not wish to bring any hardship to anybody but to develop the country," he stated.

He warned that the demolition exercise would be continuous, adding that NRC is working in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment to ensure that illegal structures do not exist on the rail lines corridors.

During the demolition exercise, some occupants, whose structures were affected, confirmed that they were duly informed about the demolition exercise but did not know it would come so soon.

One Adebimpe Okanlawon, a fruit seller along the corridors at Iju Station, said she received a notice distributed by the management of NRC asking them to remove their structures from the rail line corridors sometimes in 2006. She pointed out that despite the fact that the NRC stopped collecting rents from them since two years ago, some elders of the community were still demanding for rents from them and collected up till December last year.

"We cannot say we were not informed, because as you can see, some of us have already removed our cubicles before today. They (NRC) told us about three years ago when they stopped collecting rents from us, though some of the elders here still collected rent till December last year," she said.

However, the owner of Orelope Food Canteen, Alhaja Sidikat Orelope, whose canteen was demolished, denied ever being notified. According to her, while notices were given to others occupying the opposite side of the rail corridors, she was given false impression that her canteen would not be affected.

Orelope, who hastily removed some of her belongings with the assistance of well-wishers, wept bitterly as she watched her canteen go down under the bulldozer.

Speaking, the Baale of Iju, Chief Tunde Savage, told reporters that he was not aware of any notice given to the people, adding that he had never been invited to any meeting with the management of NRC to discuss about the demolition.

His words: "They never had any meeting with me or my people, and I am so surprised to see them now. I even sent my messenger to call their representative when I saw them destroying this place but they refused to come."

Armed policemen accompanied by men from the Man of War (Man-O-War) maintained law and order throughout the demolition exercise.

http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-250618.0.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/200903200302.html

lagos is the by far the most stressful place i've ever stayed.  if i ever get the oppprtunity to leave here for good, i'll pack my load and vamoose without looking back . i've been on a bus tour through different parts of the country (at least 12 states or more ) and honestly speaking, there is very little hapenning in those states, but a lot can be done to turn that around . me thinks other state governor should rise to the challenge and try to develop their states so that people will actually be willing to go back. north- central nigeria  (kogi, kwara, benue, nasarawa)has very fertile land, the government can go a long way in commercializing their agriculture, we hold the key to our own success.

no matter the kind of prayers you pray against him, fashola gets more praise and prayers from a lot of people.

The thing is; lagos must be transformed! and it has already started in less than 2 years. We welcome more demolitions and restructuring. This isnt the first time it is happening. It happened in abuja and we are happy with what it has become.

It isnt compulsory to be in lagos period. You dont like the transformations, you are excused!

Hmmm,  I really get amused when people talk here about Fashola providing alternative whenever illegal stalls are demolished.
Some wakes up in the morning without any plan of what he/she is coming to do in Lagos, catches the next bus and lo and behold , he/she is in lagos "to make money" , wakes up one morning and found an empty space even on either main road or rail line and begin to sell wares not minding wether its an appropriate place or not. Before you say Jack, the place soon become market even at the detriment of the passersby.

Then a government who knows it obligation decides to sanitise the environment moves in to clear the rubbish and people begin to shout he doesnt provide alternative,

The question i do ask people is "Is it the government that puts them there in the first place"?  You see people with there wares in the middle of the highway in Oshodi and they will even curse you if you mistakenly touch their wares as if the middle of the highway i duely allocated to them as market and some folks here are talking about alternative.

The real culprit here is actually the "useless" local government official that collect illegal permit fee from these ignorant traders, making them to believe they legally allocated a market space.

Whaaaaaaatttt!!!!!! Now only the rich ladies can dress fly. Less ladies to flirt with on the streets.

Please fash  carry on demolishing.  The fact of the matter those people weren't suppose to there in the first place

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR INNOCENT PEOPLE TO SACRIFICE TO YOUR gods? SO YOU WANT TO ATTRACT US TO EXPECIALLY KWARA AND NASARAWA FOR RITUALS LIKE YOU DID IN JOS, KANO, BAUCH AND KADUNA - tufiakwa!



UNFORTUNATELY YOU ARE STILL BEING SPOON-FED. WHEN YOU AND YOUR LIKES ARE UPTO 10 YEARS OF AGE, I SHALL PERSONALLY RESPOND TO YOU. DO NOT TRY TO BLARE AS I WILL NOT WASTE A MINUTE OF RESPONSE ON IGNORANT PERSON

There must be a better way to these things.

I really appreciate what the governor is doing but alternatives (no matter how small) should be provided for the people affected.

Truly not everyone must be in Lagos but it's the joint work of people from different localities that have made Lagos what it is today - "The Centre of Excellence."

Even the lowest earner contributes to the economy,

The Yaba market everyone is talking about is the one along the railway line. The market was cleared by the Federal Government. They railways corporation gave them 2 YEARS warning (even the market people confirmed this, and that they had stopped collecting fees from them 2 years ago) before going there on the faithful day to demolish the illegal structure. How much warning are they suppose to give them? 10 years