Twenty-four years after its demolition, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on Sunday inaugurated and handed over the newly rebuilt Oyingbo Market urging Lagosians to vote for a party that has a record of keeping its promises, like the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the coming general election.
The new and highly modernised Oyingbo Market, rebuilt on its original site in Ebute Metta, is now a four-floor structure with 270 lock up shops, 632 open shops, 48 open offices, three cold rooms, one fire service station, 66 parking spaces and 134 toilets.
Efforts to rebuild the market which has been in existence since 1938, has moved from one administration to the other. In 1991, it was demolished with plans to turn it into an ultra-modern market. The then Chairman of the Mainland Local Government, Dr. Babatunde Larinde tried to rebuild it through partnership with the private sector inviting the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola to lay the foundation of the new market, who also promised to help them get the attention of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in raising needed funds for the project.
However, during his governorship campaigns around the state, the then Action Congress of Nigeria governorship candidate (governor of the state) Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, in response to an appeal by the leader of the market, Alhaja Bushirat Balogun, appealed to assist in rebuilding the age-old market when voted into power.
Addressing a large audience consisting of market men and women, government functionaries and business stakeholders as well as APC party supporters, at the site of the new structure, Fashola recalled that the new market being handed over was a promise he made in 2007 when he was seeking election as the Governorship candidate of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
Stressing the importance of keeping promises as a commitment to the welfare of the people and not for vote catching, the governor further recalled,
“Precisely at the junction of Apapa Road and Murtala Muhammed Way, which is just a few metres away from this spot, I promised you in 2007 that I would rebuild the Oyingbo Market which had been demolished since 1991.”
He told the highly elated audience, “When I made that promise, like many promises I made to you, they were not vote catching. They were meant to respond to the yearnings of our market men and women, large contributors to our economic life in retail business. They had been displaced from the comfort of their markets and stalls and had to resort to road side trading at great risk to limb and life, in order to put food on their table. That was my understanding of the seriousness of my promise.
“Today, I am here to hand over the market in fulfillment of that promise. In this way, I hope that you can still cling to the hope that our democracy can deliver on your promises if you vote for politicians and political parties who keep to their promises and work hard to deliver on them,” Fashola said.
Noting that many Lagosians voted for him in 2007 based on the promise to rebuild the market, the governor said it was based on such premise that, in spite of the challenges on the site, he kept coming there to demonstrate his commitment to keep the promise adding, “You all know, I am not seeking any political office in this election, but I cannot forget that some of you voted for me on the basis of my promise. I am here today to keep my word.”
He announced that “after series of meetings with the market men and women and their leadership,” government has concluded plans to allocate 618 of the open shops to the original owners who were displaced adding, “The new Oyingbo Market is now a much more modern market than what used to be here.”
“I should know because my late grandmother used to sell pots and pans of the Tower Aluminum brand in this market when I was in primary school,” he recalled, expressing the hope that with the new structure in place, the traders would leave the roadside and move into the “more comfortable and secure location,” which, according to him, would greatly improve traffic flow in the area.
Thanking all those who made it possible for his administration to deliver on the commitment, including the “contractor, public servants, commissioners, special advisers, permanent secretaries, directors and officers of other cadres,” Governor Fashola declared, “I value your service and the people of Lagos do so.”
“You set us apart from other parties and governments who have no respect for the spoken word or promises” the Governor said adding, “Your commitment ensures that we deliver on our promises.”