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The merchants of the Maboreje market, also known as the Extension of Pelewura, located in the area of the local government of the island of Lagos, have denounced prolonged negligence and non -compensation by the state government of Lagos following the demolition of their stores in November 2024.
The demolition exercise, which hit over 5,000 stores, was built without notice, according to several affected merchants, leaving thousands of blocked entrepreneurs and struggle to survive.
Speaking, Mr. Olasunkanmi Adejare, who represented his elderly mother – an owner of a shop at the market – said that, despite the insurance from an official of the local government, Isak Babunde, that the compensation would have been paid before the demolition, nothing was received.
“Babaude said that the owners of original stores would get 1 million, those who bought shops would get ₦ 500,000 and that the tenants would get ₦ 250,000. We presented our documents and bank data, but months after the demolition, we did not receive anything”, complained Adejare.
He also revealed that he had written to the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Oell in January 2025, but he has not yet received any response.
Another trader, Abayomi Suleiman Sadik, echoed to such frustration. “We were asked to present the test of the property of the shop, but since then we have not heard anything. People have been made without work: places, parents and the master of the master are imploring survival,” he said.
Lawal Aminat, a single mother, revealed that the proceeds of her shop were used to meet the education and daily needs of her children. “We trusted the trial and sent everything. Now, it remains without support,” he said in tears.
Kehind Omlusase, another trader interested in Bariga, said: “They collected our bank accounts and passport photos. Since then, we have felt nothing but silence. We have visited the local government several times but we continue to be rejected”.
In response, the special consultant of the Governor Sanwo-Oell on the system of electronic geographical information and on urban development, dr. Inhabitun Olajide Babaunde revealed that the state government had released ₦ 700 million to the local government of Lagos Island for complete compensation.
He urged the merchants injured to write to him directly or visit the local government office to claim their rights.
Despite this, many traders argue that they still have to receive any financial support or communication, raising concerns about the transparency and efficiency of the provision process.
The demolition and subsequent abandonment aroused renewed questions about the approach of the state government of Lagos to urban redevelopment and on the human cost of these actions, in particular on informal entrepreneurs who constitute a critical part of the state economy.
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