Demolition caught us unawares, say Kuje shop-owners

Only a small portion of the market was left untouched in a bid to allow trading activities.
Some traders in the market told Weekly Trust that they were unaware of any plan to demolish the market, while others said they were not given enough time. “I personally believe that God is taking us somewhere. This incident will lead to development by the time the modern market is built. But we are praying that government will consider us and we wouldn’t be marginalized, then we would have no cause for regret,” one of the traders whose restaurant was destroyed said.
Another trader, Godwin Chiboy, said he was not around when it happened. “No place has been provided for us. They should have done it in batches instead of destroying almost the whole market. When the modern market is built they should make it affordable for us and let us pay in installments.”
The Chairman, Kuje Main Market, Alhaji Yunusa tanko Isah also said he was not informed that the demolition will take place but added that they were informed earlier that the market would be rebuilt without specific reference as to the day of demolition. “I just got a call, and on reaching the market, was told by the Secretary, Market Management, that demolition was about to commence.”
As to whether an alternative was provided for the traders, Isah continued: “They said they are clearing the refuse dump area and the area called Forest, where people can build temporary shops.”