Oyo State Government yesterday, vowed to enforce the law against street trading in the state. This decision was triggered by the tragic incident that struck the state few days ago when a fuel tanker fell along Molete Roundabout in Ibadan, leaving many dead and destroyed properties worth several millions of naira.
According to SunNews, Commissioner for Information and Orientation in the state, Prince Gbade Lana, who is the chairman of the ad-hoc committee on the Molete fire disaster that occurred at about 9p.m on October 11, 2014, announced this at a press conference in Ibadan.
According to him, the government had put in place a committee that would ensure street trading was totally eradicated from the state, especially in Ibadan and its environs.
Members of the committee, headed by the Commissioner for Information include the commissioners for Trade, Investment and Cooperatives; Environment and Habitat as well as Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Others are the two special advisers to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on media and environment.
He said Governor Ajimobi personally visited the scene of the carnage very early the following day after the incident and commiserated with the families of the deceased, adding that the governor noted that the damage would have been less if the people had taken to the genuine warning by his administration for people to desist from street trading and moved to various neighbourhood market places that had been provided.
Lana continued: “The present administration has zero tolerance for street trading, and this, it has been demonstrating since its inception. Resultantly, I am to state that henceforth, the practice of street trading by anyone will be met with appropriate sanctions as contained in the books of the laws of the state.”
He appealed to residents of the state to cooperate with government in its efforts to save lives and property in the state by obeying the directive, and moving to appropriate places provided by government.