*As market women promise to utilise new facilities
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has said his administration would build more markets in strategic locations within the state in a bid to stop street trading and provide more facilities for commercial activities.
Oyebanji disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday when he led some state officials on inspection of road rehabilitation in some parts of the State capital.
The governor, who was inspecting the rehabilitation of the Agric Olope road and channelisation project, addressed market women leaders at the new Shasha market.
He told the market leaders of his administration’s plan to build more markets to accommodate the teeming number of traders involved in street trading with attendant discomfort to other road users.
“I am impressed by the spate of work on this market. I hope you will make use of the facilities, as our government is making plans to build more markets for you so that you will stop street trading. Are you assuring me that you will make use of the new markets, because we don’t want a situation where you will abandon the market and be hawking your goods on the roadside?
“This government is committed to your safety, welfare as well as growth of your business. When we provide facilities, you must make sure they are put to proper use”, the governor told the traders.
The spokesperson for the market women, Mrs Olabiran, thanked the governor for the new market and assured that traders will make proper use of the market and other facilities being planned.
Oyebanji who said he was satisfied with the level and quality of work done by the contractors on the roads being rehabilitated by his administration, adding that the road rehabilitation would soon be extended to all the 16 local government areas of the state.
Speaking with Journalists shortly after the exercise, the governor said he had always embarked on projects inspection to ensure conformity with standard, adding that his administration will continue to serve the interest of all Ekiti people irrespective of political leaning.
The governor, in an interaction with some residents who trooped out to see him, said one of his administration’s programmes aimed at empowering artisans, market women and small scale businesses would soon be unveiled to guarantee prosperity of the people.
Oyebanji urged all residents of Ekiti to vote for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu during the February 25 Presidential election, saying Ekiti would benefit more and enjoy more dividends of democracy when the APC Presidential Candidate becomes president of Nigeria.
“It is my mission to regularly check on ongoing projects in the state, this is not the first time I’m doing this and it’s going to be done regularly. I just went there today to see for myself how far they have gone and to ensure that they conform to standard and I’m extremely impressed about the quality of work done and the speed, because the rain will soon set in so we want to cover as much ground as we can before the rainy season.
“Politics ended with the governorship election and I took an oath in October to serve the people of Ekiti State irrespective of political affiliation, we are all one in the state and the government will serve the interest of everybody. So, there is no politics in government.
“I actually went to see the ongoing project and I saw the development in the market, I’m quite impressed and I’m happy with the commitment of the market women to move to that site when it is completed. We will assist them and we will clear Ado of roadside traders and that will give the state capital a very nice look and also ensures that we minimise traffic within the metropolis”.
