By Muhammed Bello
More than 13 months after the Kwara State government demolished shops along Tipper garage, Tanke ilorin, it is yet to compensate properties owners and traders whose shops and businesses were affected, Fresh Insight has gathered.
It could be recalled, the government had last year announced the award of contract for the construction of a flyover bridge at Tipper garage, a move according to the government aimed at tackling incessant traffic congestion at the place.
However, 13 months after, of the over 50 properties pulled down for the construction, the government is yet to pay any of the affected owners and traders.
Speaking with Fresh Insight, some of the affected traders bemoaned the delay in the completion of the Tanke flyover bridge, decrying its effect on their day to day activities.
A trader whose shop was demolished, simply identified as Rofiat said “I had a shop which got demolished and I had to move from that location to this very place and now there is no sales at all due to the delay in bridge completion.
“No form of compensation whatsoever from the government or even did they say anything about my shop that got demolished and that’s why I need to adjust myself to this place as I needed to survive by little we are seeing here, because market is not going well at all
“I was selling provisions before my shop got demolished, which is in form of a supermarket, with u huge amount of goods which cannot be contained here, so I have to keep it aside pending when they are done with construction. I rather start doing POS for the main time so as to survive this hard time” she added.
Speaking in the same vein, a vendor, who identified herself as Iya Kareemat said “since the demolition, life hasn’t been easy, the government did not even give a thought to compensating us, they didn’t compensate anybody.
“They did not say anything, rather they claim they are doing things for our own benefit. Although we have nothing we can do since it’s government, but it really affect our business because we can barely even eat these days.
“This present government is somehow, especially now that election is coming. There’s scarcity of petrol, there are abandoned project and now this very one is affecting our personal income and businesses” she lamented.
When contacted, Sam Bola Onile the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport promised to get back to our reporter.
However, as at the time of filing this report, he was yet to get back.
