Ogun seals popular Panseke market over environmental infractionsCredit : Gift Oba(

The Ogun State Government sealed the popular Panseke market located in Abeokuta on Monday over environmental infractions.

Farook Akintunde, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment and Chairman of the Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, said the sealing followed several warnings to the trader who failed to comply.

Akintunde explained that while street trading endangers and creates inconvenience for road users, the traders also make use of all the drainages to display their goods.

“Panseke Market is a notorious market that has been disregarding all laws and regulations. We conducted a lot of sensitisation, held stakeholder meetings between the ministry and the heads of the market, and warned and made them understand the reason why they should not trade on the road.

“T

hey have made use of all the drainages and as a result of that, all the dirt from the market plunged into the drains and that brought about flood.”

One of the traders told DAILY POST that the market was asked to pay a fine of N2.5 million before it could be opened.

He said: “So they said we are going to pay N2.5 million before they open the market for us. So as it is now, we don’t even know when this will end; it’s like the market leaders are trying to negotiate with them to see if they can bring the price down. They even seized some people’s wares this morning.”

Responding, Akintunde said no fine was levied on the market and assured that the market would be opened once the traders are ready to abide by the law.

Speaking on the goods that were seized, he lamented that despite sealing the market, those traders still went ahead to display their wares.

“That is a fallacy and absolute damage of character; we have been sealing different markets across Ogun State, and I don’t remember once where a market had been fined even up to N500,000. Nobody is even talking of penalties for now.

“A mallam selling yam and a meat seller, on seeing the caution tape, still went ahead to display their market but as I speak to you, the items have been returned to the owners so there is nothing with the ministry again.

“ The issue of penalty is not the first to come up; when they show up, we sit down with them to analyse what is on ground and if they are ready to abide by the laws, we make them sign an undertaking that they will not engage in street trading again.

“If the government deems it fit to impose any fine on them, that is subject to government decision but in most cases, we don’t do that because the market belongs to all of us,” he added.

The traders, however, lamented the economic hardship and begged the government to help open the market, saying they are struggling to fend for themselves