Ebonyi Hawkers in Lagos Smile

By Philip Nweze

It is no longer contestable that human empowerment and wealth creation is at the heart of the current administration driven by Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state.

This time around, no fewer than 520 street traders who are indigenes of the state and resident in Lagos joined the wagon after smiling home with 250, 000 naira each. This is 520 Ebonyians pulled out from the Lagos traffic.

The timing of the ongoing empowerment initiative by the Ebonyi state government couldn’t be more perfect. It is no longer news that Ebonyi state indigenes are rated as the lead street traders and hawkers in Nigeria. The rate at which Ebonyi youths are involved in street hawking across the country is giving the state governor and well - meaning Ebonyi people sleepless nights.

Aside the danger involved in street hawking, these boys die on a daily basis ; In 2016, one of them fell inside the lagoon running from Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials on Third Mainland Bridge . Another one fell from Maryland Bridge , before he could even land , a BRT bus rammed into him. A chip seller identified as an indigene of the state was also killed at First Gate, Festac , Lagos in 2015 by a hit and run driver. These and many more is the reason behind this interventionist role by the governor.

Recall also that the Lagos state Governor, Ambode Akinwunmi had in a live interview session on TVC, a Lagos based TV station in July 2016, declared that it would start total enforcement against street hawkers and buyers, with culprits liable to a fine of N90,000 or a six months jail, in line with Section One of the Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law 2003 which restricts street trading and hawking in the metropolis.

The beauty of the ongoing empowerment programme is its ability to mitigate the burden of hunger, poverty and exposure to life threatening circumstances, which are direct products of unemployment, by creating the enabling circumstances to take hawkers off the street and empower them to earn decent living. The first stage is data collation and registration to have a comprehensive data of hawkers of Ebonyi state extraction in Lagos which is the pilot state.

In an attempt to accomodate everyone the governor has further broadened the programme's reach. Genuine traders with identifiable shops and registered with any of the town unions from Ebonyi were also supported with unspecified cash with a view to strengthening their capacity and boosting their economic viability.

Now that the opportunity has been made available, the burden is on those privileged to be part of it to justify the goodwill of government by going all out to give it their best shot. To whom much is given, much is expected.

#Share.

Make sure they don't come back.

ndi anambra onye ogwu ego, please come and help we ebonyi igbo to develop ebonyi state the same way you often foolishly claim that you help Yoruba people to develop their land. we Igbo are really suffering in ebonyi. The only tarred road in e bonyi is the one leading to the government house at abakaliki

Great

I hawk too ooo

Hope they make prudent investments with the money and don't return to hawking in Lagos traffic

The rate at which Ebonyi youths are involved in street hawking across the country is giving the state governor and well - meaning Ebonyi people sleepless nights.

When they talk about how much investment they have in Lagos, just know they are talking about their Fan-Yogo bicycles and cartons of Gala

At least, these ones are already telling themselves the truth. We know say na pride no gree let the rest of una from potor land cast una selves. Continue living in denial. Una go dey alright

Hoping they invest in profitable business

What is all this?

Great...Ambode would have locked them up using LSNC and charge them.
Anyway, Fashola was a great visionary..thanks for showing the way

That's cool.

[color=#770077][/color]

Dey shld juz go ND leave us alone.

Where is the money coming from?

In the sustainable development space, this move is not a good one cuz it won't translate to better standard of living in the long run.

The Lagos Developers

Imagine[b] 520[/b] multiply by 5 state from the East = 2,600 youth developing Lagos inside traffic

If you look closely now you will see the names of ward and relatives of govt official because there is no way the govt could hav e determined correctly who was a street hawker on Lagos or and what part of Lagos streets they hawked on

The timing of the ongoing empowerment initiative by the Ebonyi state government couldn’t be more perfect. It is no longer news that Ebonyi state indigenes are rated as the lead street traders and hawkers in Nigeria. The rate at which Ebonyi youths are involved in street hawking across the country is giving the state governor and well - meaning Ebonyi people sleepless nights.

Nice one

u go fear naa

This people don't resemble hawkers na

let dem make good use of it o

DaddyKross:
Abeg, i from Ebonyi and i be Lagos hawker. Where do i get my 250 bah ?

Eboniyi Embassy at 3rd mainland bridge

Ebonyi people and Hawking are 5&6

nice one...

to the beneficiaries invest wisely

see first class graduate dey here d wait for 10k salary, abeg, fortune smile on me like this na, let me go and open my poultry farm.