Lagos, home to about 300,000 hawkers-Activist

Lagos, home to about 300,000 hawkers-Activist

Dayo Emmanuel

 

“Politics is not about party affiliations, but about development.”

These was an assertion of Comrade Biodun Aremu at the public presentation of Community Development Charter for Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State, facilitated by media NGO, International Press Centre (IPC), recently. Aremu had asserted that there are about 300,000 youths hawking across Lagos State due to poverty. The figure is thrice the population of Seychelles, an Indian Ocean island nation in 2013, which should be an emergency in Nigeria.

Aremu, main speaker at the event organised by IPC, added that development is about the people of the grassroots who are worst hit by poverty and age-long underdevelopment, wondering how parents would be able to pay school fees of their children and wards when salaries are not paid for several months.

“When government delivers a project for the community, it is the people’s money it has used to put it up and when you see it being destroyed, you must not keep quiet. At the grassroots, we must reinvent ourselves,” he argued.

 

Stating further, the human rights activist, social commentator and convener of the United Action for Democracy in 2006, said, “Development work is for all of us, grass roots development is the best, there is what is called team work, and people at the community level must develop the spirit of team work to advance the course of development.”

Talking about the societal values which were once held dear in African tradition, the main speaker lamented that, “Our community values have broken down, we have to get them back. In the past, we developed based on community efforts. The poor man has one vote, the rich man has one vote, if the vote is equal, development should be equal. The law should come from the grassroots.”

Complaining about the recent clampdown on street hawkers on major highways in Lagos by the Governor Akinwumi Ambode-led government, Aremu said, “The law Ambode made is not too good. People must survive, you have children hawking water, someone is making laws against them, while people are stealing billions in same country. If we think deep, we won’t do some things.”

Stating further, he also gave the three stages involved in policy making. According to him, “Consultation, discussion, consensus, are the three stages any policy is made. If you don’t understand the people, you would have problem. If every child is in school, there would be no child left hawking in the street.”

 

He also enlightened participants that, “No fewer than 300,000 people are in street trading in Lagos today and the government must proffer solution to the poverty causing this problem.”

Going down memory lane, he recalled that, “The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo attended five primary schools before he could finish his primary education because of poverty. He would walk from Ilishan to Abeokuta, he hawked to help his parents,” he said, explaining further that, “That was the reason Papa Awolowo said if he could get to government, children of the poor would be educated for free. Western region wasn’t a Yoruba thing then, it comprised the Ijaws, Yorubas, Itsekiris, Urhobos etc.”

 

The community development charter presented to the public at the event covered for Isokan, Itire-Ijesa, Aiyetoro, Coker-Aguda, and Obele Oniwala communities, all in the Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The publication, facilitated by the IPC was supported by UKaid and Action Aid to feature community development efforts in the area.

Also at the event, a community leader and social social commentator, was of a different opinion form the main speaker. According to him, street trading is now unpopular around the world and should be discouraged in a mega city like Lagos.

According to him, “Street trading is not popular again around the world, the other day these street traders damaged 84 busses. Our people are lawless, we basterdise everything in this country and we say the government is bad,” he argued, adding that, “Many of these street traders are criminals. Even the ones who are shop owners leave their shops to hawk in the streets. If we want to develop, we need to be sincere.  The state government is currently working on 114 streets across the states costing above N87M and there are other on-going projects, please let us commend the government.”

A community leader and Head of Department of Education at the Surulere Local Government at the event, Mr. Quadri Rafiu, gave insight into the world of street hawkers in Lagos.

According to him, “The majority of the children hawking are being exploited by their guardians.” He added that, “I was driving on Ikorodu road the other day and found some people digging the road just to cause traffic to make street hawking more profiting. These people are people’s children, they are largely unemployed youths and employment now is a thug of war in the society.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Community Development Council, Surulere Local Government, Mr. Abayomi Balogun, also at the event, buttressed the fact that development of the grassroots is a must for any government who must make the real change possible.

“I used to sell plantain when I was young, the person I used to live with was poor, when government brings a new scheme, it doesn’t get down to the community,” he said. He stated further that, “What we needed most is education. The NGOs are working hard on issues, the government is saying hawkers should not sell on the streets again, but have they provided shops for them?” He asked.

Inquiring further, he wanted to know what it costs an average trader to secure a shop at the new Tejuosho market. “How much is shop at Tejuosho market? We are still in the era of slave trade. There are still things we need to discuss to achieve a stable society.”

Participants took turn to comment about the level of development in their various communities and enjoined the government to intensify efforts on development especially in the area and education and infrastructure at the grassroots.

The community development charter was however presented to the stake holders of each community present at the event while the IPC enjoined participants to continue to participate in community development meetings and ask questions when necessary so that the government can show enough accountability towards issues of the grassroots.

Residents of the communities were also enjoined to be on ground to monitor, make use of the facilities the government is providing and protect such from vandals.