LASG, LG warn traders, others to leave rail tracks

The Lagos State Government and Agege Local Governmenthave warned beggars and traders on the rail tracks along the Agege corridor to vacate the area.

The warning came as the council held an enlarged stakeholders meeting on Sunday with some community members ahead of the planned demolition of illegal structures.

Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, the Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments, Training, and Pension, said in his remarks at the meeting that information had been received on various criminal activities being carried out along the rail corridor.

He said that shanties were harbouring criminals who were attacking passersby and residents at night.

“The government has invested a lot of money in the rail project, and we don’t want anybody to sabotage and deface the infrastructure.

”That is why we are educating and warning the people involved to vacate the area before enforcement begins,” he said.

The commissioner appealed to the community and market leaders to enlighten the residents and traders to shun trading on the railway lines to avoid being arrested.

According to him, joint enforcement will soon begin, and anybody arrested will face the wrath of the law.

Dr. Mudashiru Obasa, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, said he had been at the rail corridor to sensitise residents on proper sanitation and the need to avoid the rail track for trading.

Obasa, who was represented by Mr. Jubril AbdulKareem, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Agege II, said the government would come with full force to demolish shanties after the stakeholders meeting.

“We need to understand the reason the government is doing this enforcement; it is for our safety and for our benefit.

“The railway is for the benefit of the people, not for trading, and the bridges are not meant for begging or for commercial purposes.”

Chief Ganiyu Egunjobi, the Executive Chairman of Agege Local Government, said earlier in his speech that enforcing and holding people accountable for their actions would now be the priority of the government on the railway line.

“Our main focus is to provide a healthy environment for everyone, to protect the infrastructure and resources, and to provide security and dignity for the residents,” he said.

The council chairman said that the local government was committed to partnering with the state to bring out the aesthetic value of the environment by greening the railway corridors.

Mr. Aliyu Zango, the Mogaji Gai of Agege, thanked the state and local governments for the warning.

He said that his members would be duly informed about the government plan.

Zango said that his community members had been warned about making illegal shelters and trading on the rail line.

“We have warned our people to vacate the shanties so as to avoid being arrested by the police.

“We will also inform those who are involved in trading on the rail line to desist for safety purposes,” Zango said.