Lagos
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has warned the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to put on hold or scrap its recent pronouncement on full enforcement of the street trading and illegal market law, until the state performs its social responsibility or face the wrath of the masses.
The human right group threatened that failure to do so, would force them to embark on a mass protest that would paralyse the activities of the State House of Assembly and other major roads next Wednesday.
At a World Press Conference held in Lagos on Friday, the state chairman, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, said urged the governor and the legislative arm to be pro-masses and reflect on the economic pains and challenges of Nigerians who have been patient and tolerant with the Federal Government policies.
“It must be very clear to all that the CDHR, Lagos branch do not entirely opposed the state government policies, especially the street trading and illegal market law, but in a society where the government itself is lacking in its social welfare responsibility, the law is noting but anti-masses without human face.
“It is also important to note that large percentage of the street traders/hawkers are youths, who as a result of the failure of government’s responsibility designed alternative means to survive and not engage in crime, yet the same government lay ambush through its policy to arrest and prosecute such innocent youths, whom it ought to have taken care of,” he said.
The chairman noted that its findings revealed that considerable number of graduates, whom the stable unemployment had rendered useless were also on the street of Lagos hawking to survive. “Those are innocent materials wasting away because of lack of people’s concern and provision of social responsibility of government. According to United Nations, the economic fortune of a nation lies not in its military strength, but in its youths.
“It is important to state that the industrious market men and women’s shops in various markets across the state were taken away from them by government under the guise of market renovation, only to contract such markets to their cronies who are building/property developers. The markets, after renovation becomes highly expensive and unaffordable to the industrious struggling market men and women. The markets were given to the rich, while the ordinary people ran to the streets for survival.”
The group called for the immediate and unconditional removal of the Iyaloja-General of the state, Madam Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, to be replaced with a pro-market men and women through democratic means for healthy market settings in the state, to correct the situation that consistently leads to street trading.
They also urged the government to immediately cancel the mobile courts used in prosecuting innocent Lagosians without defense, noting that it is unconstitutional.