TheCable

Six years after the administration of Babatunde Fashola, former governor of Lagos state, demolished parts of Oshodi, Akinwunmi Ambode, his successor, supervised the demolition of Owonifari market, still in Oshodi, on Wednesday morning.

According to NAN, the market had been in existence for more than 40 years.

The government had earlier closed the market over security challenges within Oshodi metropolis.

Apart from Ambode, Babatunde Adejare, commissioner for environment, officials of Kick Against Indiscipline (KIA), police and some other top government officials, witnessed the demolition.

A director in the ministry of environment, who is the head of the demolition task force, declined to comment when contacted by the NAN.

The affected traders and shop owners had been relocated to the new Isopakodowo Market at Bolade Area of Oshodi.

In a statement, Steve Ayorinde, commissioner for information and strategy, said the government planned to transform the market into an ultra-modern bus terminus with new bus shelters befitting a structured park in a mega city.

The statement added that the reconstruction of the market site is being undertaken to assist the federal government and the Nigerian Railway Corporation, in particular, with a view to beautifying it and safeguard lives along the railway corridor and discouraging street trading and indiscriminate use of the space.

Ayorinde said the ongoing fencing-off and beautification of the road set-back from Ilupeju bypass to PWD/Ikeja GRA would constitute the first phase of the transformation of the Oshodi area.

The second phase, he added, would begin from PWD/Ikeja GRA and stretch all the way to Agege/Pen cinema axis.