The Lagos State government has called on traders and corporate bodies operating within the Lagos Island business district to cooperate with state government to curb environmental and traffic issues within the business district.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts, Prince Anofiu Olarenwaju Elegushi made the call at an interactive meeting of stakeholders operating in the Lagos Island Business District held at the Onikan Youth Center, Onikan, Lagos.
The Special Adviser in his welcome remarks said the essence of the meeting is to deliberate and foster synergy of purpose on how to tackle issues such as traffic management, violation of physical planning laws, security, waste management, street trading and other salient issues relating to the operations and development of the Lagos Island Business District.
The Special Adviser who decried the nuisance of street trading and display of wares on walkways and roads called on market leaders and owners of shops and plazas whose shops have been extended to the roads to remove them immediately or face the full wrath of the environmental and physical planning laws of Lagos State.
He called on commercial tricycles and motorbike operators to obey the ban placed on them not to operate in some part of the Lagos Island Business District which he listed as Inner Marina, Broad Street, Nnamdi Azikwe Street, Inner and Outer Marina, Martins Street, Balogun Street, Davies Street amongst others
He said, “State Government has expended enormous resources and wherewithal on beautification, painting, rebranding, reconstruction and general uplifting of Lagos Island CBD axis to ensure that serene and conducive environment is in place for businesses to thrive. But street trading and closure of major roads within the business district by traders have made nonsense of the huge resources spent by the state Government’’
“It is very disheartening that traffic situations within the island business district has been worsen by the activities of commercial bus and cab operators as well as private car owners who park indiscriminately within the business district. We are here today to seek your cooperation and have a mutual agreement on how best to tackle the menace of street trading, extension of shops to the roads and traffic bottleneck within the Lagos island business district’’ he continued.
Stakeholders at the meeting who were drawn from the market leaders, corporate bodies, owners of Plazas, religious leaders, trade unions, CDAs, Local Government officials, government and Security agencies operating within the Lagos Island Business Districts after extensive interaction and deliberations agreed to support and work with the state government to tackle environmental and traffic issues bedeviling the business district.